by VALERIO BARRETTA
McLaren and the “papaya rules”
Starting from Monza, a new expression is taking centre stage in the Formula 1 paddock. It is “papaya rules” and it was launched by McLaren CEO Zak Brown in reference to the freedom of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to fight cleanly on the track.
These rules created the conditions for Piastri to directly attack his teammate on the outside of the Roggia on the first lap: an overtaking move that is remarkable for its courage and beauty, but which almost sent Norris into a spin and had a decisive impact on the British driver’s race, who then finished third to the finish line, to the delight of Max Verstappen and Red Bull.
Horner’s words
After Helmut Marko’s ironic comment, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner also indirectly thanked McLaren: “I don’t know what the papaya rules are, but I’m sure that at the second chicane they almost took themselves out of the race. So, from a drivers’ championship point of view, they helped us.. It’s always a difficult position for a team. It’s inevitable that at a certain point you have to gather and favor the better placed driver, but in a situation like this it’s impossible“.
Of course, this is nothing new: every team that fields two strong drivers on the track has and must have a “code of conduct” that offers a different freedom to fight depending on the circumstances. What is strange is that McLaren continues to oppose team orders despite having the possibility of winning both World Championships, something that hasn’t happened for over a quarter of a century (1998).
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