Signing the top two times in qualifying this Saturday, McLaren had sent a strong signal. A signal that hinted at a beautiful victory, possibly even a double in the race this Sunday, for the English team in black and orange papaya colors.
However, after a start that sparked a battle between the two McLaren teammates, only to be won by Oscar Piastri, victory slipped through their hands, going instead to Ferrari and Charles Leclerc. The team did manage to secure a double podium finish this Sunday, but lost significant points that could have brought Lando Norris closer to the drivers’ world championship title and could have also given McLaren the lead in the constructors’ standings this weekend.
McLaren will discuss team orders next week.
During an exchange after the Italian Grand Prix with Nico Rosberg, Zak Brown, the executive director of McLaren, had to answer questions about the internal dynamics of the team and the “free” battles between the drivers during the race. Nico Rosberg reminded the necessity of introducing “orders” within the team and expressed his interest in understanding better the “Papaya Rules”. These rules seem to encourage a clean and respectful competition between teammates, but the recent race highlighted some potential tensions.
Nico Rosberg, always with his frankness: « But Zak, isn’t it time to introduce a bit of team orders, let’s call it that way, in the Papaya Rules?
Charles Leclerc was able to slot in between the two McLaren drivers from the first lap, potentially compromising McLaren’s race strategy and chance of victory, due to the battle between teammates in the early corners of the Grand Prix. Zak Brown acknowledged that the incident could have cost the team dearly: « Yes, that’s exactly… Maybe. Maybe. So, that’s what we’ll discuss, you know, next week.
What do the “papayas rules” mentioned on the radio refer to?
The term “Papaya Rules” was clarified by Zak Brown, who explained that these rules dictate to drivers to fight hard but cleanly, without contact. In this incident, although the maneuver was aggressive, Brown specified that there was no contact, but that the situation still caused concern on the pit wall. « The Papaya Rules, it’s run against your teammate in a tough way, but run cleanly, don’t touch each other. It happened. It was an aggressive overtake, so it’s a conversation we will have. »
Lando Norris, interviewed in the post-race press conference, explained that it was simply about not crashing into each other.
This situation illustrates the fine line McLaren must currently navigate, encouraging its drivers to fight but without impacting the team’s result and preserving harmony.
A discussion will take place next week to possibly support one of the two drivers in the upcoming races. Indeed, Lando Norris is catching up with Max Verstappen in the drivers’ championship. With a 62-point gap, the McLaren driver could win the title at this pace. But it will depend on the battle that his teammate can provide him. Oscar Piastri is also well positioned to still play for the title, provided Max Verstappen no longer manages to finish in the top 3 regularly in the next 8 Grand Prix races.
