Formula 1 News: Booed Norris denies team order was McLaren ‘Papaya rules’
(GMM) Max Verstappen stormed to a dominant victory from pole at Monza, but the spotlight quickly shifted to McLaren’s handling of its two title contenders amid its ‘Papaya Rules.’
The Dutchman, no longer a serious factor in the championship beyond mathematics, ended McLaren’s recent winning streak with a commanding drive. But behind him, Lando Norris triggered boos from the ‘tifosi’ after benefiting from a late-race ‘papaya rules’ team order to swap positions.
Piastri, leading only because Norris lost time in a botched pitstop, initially resisted over the radio. “We said a slow pit stop was part of racing, so I don’t know what has changed,” the Australian protested.
Once about to head onto the podium, however, his tune changed for the media.
“A little ‘in-chi-dent’ at the end, but that’s ok,” he laughed.
On the podium, Norris was jeered despite moving a few points closer to Piastri in the title fight. “I don’t know why,” he said. “I heard them. I hear the cheers louder than the boos, and that’s the most important.”
Norris also dismissed the notion of special “papaya rules” benefiting him.
“There are no papaya rules anymore,” he smiled to DAZN. “We never had them. The main thing is fairness.
“We don’t care what’s been done in the past – we do what we think is right.”
Asked how long McLaren’s ‘rules of engagement’ document is, he replied, “One page – I don’t think it’s even one page.”
Piastri accepted the team’s authority but hinted at lingering frustration. “I said what I had to say on the radio,” he admitted. “And once I got the second request, then I’m not going to go against the team.
“I think there’s a lot of people to protect and a culture to protect outside of just Lando and I. The radio call kind of says enough. I’m sure we’ll discuss it again.”
Norris, however, was clear. “The team is the priority. The team is number one, then the drivers are second. That’s how it works.
“Normally, when you see teams who don’t have enough respect for the team and the opportunities the team gives, it doesn’t normally last long.”
Verstappen himself laughed when told on the radio of the orchestrated swap. “I know you guys want a fun answer on that,” he told reporters afterwards, “but it’s not my problem.”
Later, he confided to Viaplay in his native tongue: “In my opinion, a bad pitstop can happen, just like an engine failure or a driver’s own mistake. That’s racing.
“So yes, I had to laugh a little about Oscar having to give up the position. I’ll leave it at that.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff warned McLaren may have created a dangerous precedent. “I think we’ll get an answer to what the right decision was later in the season when things get heated,” he said.
But team principal Andrea Stella was unrepentant.
“It’s not about right or wrong,” he told Sky Italia. “It’s about our philosophy and how we want to go about our racing. It had nothing to do with Lando’s technical retirement at Zandvoort.”
McLaren could wrap up the constructors’ crown in Baku.
