Piastri’s frustrations with McLaren’s ‘Papaya Rules’ explained

Written by Caitlyn Gordon, Edited by Meghana Sree

The tension between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris boiled over in Singapore, with Piastri at the brunt of yet another team order. Are the gloves about to come off between the McLaren teammates in the final stretch of the season, beginning with Austin?

Credit: Formula One

Despite McLaren wrapping up the Constructor’s Championship with six races to go – tying Red Bull for the earliest the trophy has been secured – the team were under the spotlight for other reasons in Singapore, a tale which has been focused on for the majority of the season: ‘Papaya Rules’. 

A dark cloud in Singapore

Credit: Formula One

Oscar Piastri has led the championship since his win in Saudi Arabia, back in April. Since then, he’s kept a steady gap over his teammate and rivals. However, despite his consistency, he has been at the brunt of several team orders over the course of the season, with Singapore the recent fall out. 

After qualifying in third on Saturday, Piastri lined up behind Max Verstappen and George Russell with Lando Norris behind in fifth. As the race began, drama for the McLaren team unfolded as Norris went deep into Turn 3, tapping the back of the Red Bull car, before the Briton made contact with Piastri and overtook him for third. 

After McLaren told Piastri that the incident will not be investigated further, the championship leader fumed on the radio. The team chose to keep Norris ahead, stating they would review the situation after the race, while Piastri lambasted the decision as ‘not fair’: “So, are we cool with Lando [Norris] just barging me out of the way? Yeah, that’s not very teamlike, for sure.”

Following the race, Norris was quizzed about his opening lap move, where the Briton defended his decision, remarking that if were to be faulted for the move, ‘then you shouldn’t be in Formula One’:

"Anyone on the grid would have done exactly the same thing as I did. So if you fault me for just putting my car on the inside of a big gap, then you shouldn't be in F1.

"I don't think I did anything wrong. Of course, I misjudged a little bit how close I was to Max [Verstappen], but that's racing.

"Nothing happened otherwise, and I'm sure I still would have ended up ahead of Oscar [Piastri] anyway because I was on the inside and he would have had the dirty side of the track on the outside.

"So, I need to go review it, of course, and see if there was something I could have done better.

"The last thing I want is to make contact with my teammate, especially because all I get is questions from you guys.

"I'm the one that can't afford anything compared to him. I would put myself at risk just as much if that kind of thing happens. But the FIA obviously thought it was fine, and the team did, too. So, that's it."

The results from the race mean that Piastri's lead has dropped down to a marginal 22-point gap between himself and Norris. Behind, making a late campaign, is Verstappen who also sliced the gap, now down to 63 points after finishing ahead of the Australian.

A controversial decision in Italy

Credit: Formula One

Singapore wasn’t an isolated incident, however. A couple of weeks prior in Italy, Piastri was told to swap positions with Norris, a decision which hindered Piastri’s advantage in the standings. 

The Australian qualified in third, his teammate just in front of him, and remained behind the Briton for the majority of the race. 

However, as Norris came in for a fresh set of tyres, a botched stop meant Piastri was able to overtake him. 

That didn’t last long. The team ordered for the positions to be swapped back, prompting Piastri to question the fairness of the decision:  “Is a slow pitstop part of racing?”

Following the race, the pair cited the team's decision as ‘fair’, and quickly moved on from the incident – yet it was clear that a new precedent had been set, one that was clearly on Piastri’s mind during the Singapore incident.

The battle ahead

With McLaren securing the Constructor's Championship, all eyes are on the final six races for the prestigious Drivers’s Championship, and the tight battle between the two papaya teammates. 

Seven time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, no stranger to the pressure of fighting a teammate for the championship, when asked whether he had any advice for Piastri heading into the final races, gave a simple and cynical response: “Don’t give any more positions.”

Whether Piastri will heed Hamilton’s advice or not will be a critical narrative for the rest of the season, as the Australian driver chases his maiden title while battling his teammate.