As Zak Brown and the rest of the McLaren organization have continued to do everything they can possibly do to prop up Lando Norris at the expense of their actual top driver in Oscar Piastri, tensions reached new heights in Singapore.
Sure, the narrative of Piastri eemingly not wanting to listen to the praise from his team boss over the radio and disconnecting it mid-sentence was total nonsense and not true. But that doesn't erase what built up to that point post-race.
When Norris runs into Piastri because he doesn't have the ability (some might say talent) to avoid slamming into the back of four-time world champion Max Verstappen, it's allegedly "clean" racing. But when Piastri actually races Norris clean, which he's done all year, a line supposedly needs to be drawn.
When Norris has a slow pit stop, Piastri needs to let Norris pass him in the spirit of "fairness". When Piastri has a slow pit stop, no consideration is given to the bush league practice, even if the delta would have equally altered the result like we saw in Singapore.
The phrase "papaya rules", which sounds like something you'd find on a preschool whiteboard rather than a team competing at the so-called (but honestly probably not, at the moment) "pinnacle of motorsport", is used only when it's convenient for one side of the garage. Any other time, forget it.
We all see it, and for as much as you never want to diminish an athlete's achievements, if Norris wins this year's world championship, there's a large portion of the F1 fanbase that would make the argument that he's the least deserving world champion of all-time.
Part of it's fair, and part of it isn't. He still has his moments of incredible immaturity, and he seemingly goes out of his way to find negative things to say about anybody else. Yet he is clearly the prioritized driver within his own team despite trailing his teammate in speed, consistency, and race craft almost all season.
And oh, by the way, even with all of that, he's still trailing Piastri by 22 points, despite Brown's "Lando Norris era" claim and subsequent support.
The fact that the completely unprofessional announcers in the Sky Sports booth are literally the Lando Norris Fan Club every single Grand Prix weekend, though not something Norris or McLaren can control, only adds to the reason why the majority of Formula 1 fans have grown to resent him.
That part of the criticism toward Norris isn't exactly fair, but fans' frustration with yet another element of favoritism toward a driver with five wins from 18 races in Formula 1's fastest car this year, a driver who has taken shots at the successes of other drivers in less dominant cars, is understandable.
But the real winner of the Singapore drama wasn't Norris, Brown, or even Max Verstappen. It was Alex Palou.
Seriously, how smart does Alex Palou look for backing out of his McLaren deal in 2023?
Brown knew exactly what he was doing by trying to get Palou out of a valid and existing contract with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2022, and he knew he was wrong. It was unrepentant behavior of a full-on shyster, and he tried to play the victim when Palou was forced to remain with Ganassi's team in 2023, which is when he was already signed through.
Palou had been under the impression that he actually had a chance at a McLaren Formula 1 seat, which is why he wanted to sign; he had no interest in simply switching to an inferior and far more inconsistent Arrow McLaren IndyCar team after winning the championship in his first year with Ganassi.
Palou did agree to join McLaren for 2024, and he's admitted that he regrets how he handled the whole situation, a situation which saw him back out of that deal, get sued by McLaren, and remain with Chip Ganassi Racing.
Since making that decision in 2023, he's won three straight IndyCar championships and an Indy 500.
The fact is that Palou wasn't going to get an F1 seat. It was a bait-and-switch ploy from a team boss who has never exactly run the risk of being "accused" by any of his respected colleagues of being the most honesty-driven or integrity-driven figure in the sport. He's here to upset the apple cart, and he'll stop at nothing to make it happen. He doesn't care what you think about it.
When it goes his way, that is.
But with Palou, he hit a brick wall, and Palou ended up kissing those very bricks just a couple years later.
What if the deal had gone through, however?
Well, for one, Palou wouldn't have been in Formula 1, so it would have gone to prove that he had been completely misled. This is something that McLaren have conveniently failed to admit in the recent court case, calling it "baseless", even though the timing is obvious (and they even admitted Palou was their go-to 'A-level' pick for their No. 6 IndyCar).
It would have cost Palou his Ganassi seat, where he has quickly entered the GOAT discussion, for literally no reason.
But had it happened the prior year like Brown sneakily wanted, perhaps the Spaniard would be in the seat now occupied by Piastri.
And the fact that he is where he is instead, winning of four out of five IndyCar titles, makes him the big winner of the ongoing McLaren drama between Piastri and the entire Norris camp.
Palou's father isn't a McLaren sponsor, nor is he worth $200 million. Brown isn't a major director and investor in Palou's brand. So yes, he would have been given the same second-rate treatment as Piastri, who also doesn't have those three things going for him like his teammate does.
Based on Palou's IndyCar performance over the past several years, which has included sheer dominance in a spec series, and the fact that Piastri, talented as he may be, is still prone to the odd unforced mistake here and there, Palou is probably a better overall driver than Piastri.
That wouldn't have made a difference in McLaren's eyes, as long as he was competing alongside Norris.
Make no mistake about it. Zak Brown and the Woking-based team are not unwilling to manipulate this year's world championship in Norris' favor, and they've shown it time and time again. Some might even call them desperate.
Meanwhile, Palou continues to spank Brown's IndyCar team, week after week, year after year, after giving him a taste of his own medicine – by merely remaining loyal to his team when he smelled an obvious rat.