McLaren drop major hint on ‘papaya rule’ change after Italian GP battle

McLaren “want to give it a go” at the Drivers’ Championship with Lando Norris, which could see their ‘papaya rules’ of engagement evolve.

McLaren’s rise to consistent front-running pace has placed Constructors’ Championship leaders Red Bull under major pressure with their Formula 1 dominance no more, but now, the Drivers’ Championship is slowly creeping into view also for Norris.

McLaren ‘want to give it a go’ with Lando Norris F1 2024 title push

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher and Sam Cooper

Red Bull managed only P6 and P8 at Monza with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez respectively, allowing Norris to trim Verstappen’s Drivers’ Championship lead again to 62 points with P3 and the fastest lap bonus point. However, McLaren’s rules of engagement between Norris and Oscar Piastri, referred to as the ‘papaya rules’, came under the magnifying glass again.

Piastri launched a brave move on Norris into the second chicane on Lap 1, getting the job done and taking the lead, though with Norris losing that position and then P2 to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Norris’ title quest was not helped with the Brit ultimately finishing P3 behind Piastri and race winner Leclerc.

But, with McLaren reviewing their ‘papaya rules’, team boss Stella has provided a major hint on what may be to come, as McLaren now sense that a Norris Drivers’ Championship push to complement their Constructors’ title charge could really be on.

Asked by media including PlanetF1.com whether there will be a stage where Norris is McLaren’s number one driver, Stella replied: “Well, already in our conversation, even before the race here, we acknowledge that Lando is in the best position from a Drivers’ Championship point of view.

“So we have conversations with Oscar, we have conversations with Lando, and we have conversations together, and then we kind of define our rules of engagement.

“We need to take a look at the first lap, but it has to be done in a way that is competent, is detailed, specific, takes into account the videos, takes into account what was the driver’s expectation, and then see what can we learn from this situation to adjust the future situations.

“I state the fact that we do want to give it a go at the Championship with Lando.”

Asked if this confirms Norris’ number one status, Stella said that is a term that only works well in “headlines”. He plans to decide with Norris and Piastri how best to chase the titles now that the Drivers’ crown is “definitely a possibility”.

“I think number one kind of works well as a headline,” he said, “but I’m not sure it works very well in the real world in terms of, what does it mean? What do you do?

“Like if we, for instance, let’s say hypothetically, that we conclude that in corner four, Lando just braked too early, and Oscar kind of naturally had the possibility to take the lead, then what does it mean if you are number one, kind of swap the lap after? It’s just very difficult to implement this definition in the real world.

“I think it’s better to keep working as a team, get the opinion of both drivers, and then work together to, like I say, try and pursue this objective in both Championships, because it now looks like the Drivers’ Championship is definitely a possibility.

“We were a little cautious, even before Monza, but I think now we see that McLaren can compete in circuits where last year we were not competitive. So I think it’s a very competitive package overall, and this could be a very important weapon for Lando, in particular, in the quest for the Championship.”

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Stella confirmed that Piastri and Norris swapping positions – had Ferrari and Leclerc not muscled their way into the picture – was not a part of their pre-race discussions, but if as a team they decide that is best with the titles in mind going forward, then they will do it.

Asked if they would have swapped Piastri and Norris around had Leclerc not been there, Stella replied: “Without Leclerc, I think Lando and Oscar would have been close enough that we could have played with some other variables, which not necessarily means, ‘Okay, now we swap position’.

“Because I don’t think this is… or at least this wasn’t part of our agreements, because this looks a little brutal to ask a driver that is going to win a race, gained on track, that you have to swap positions.

“But we will review all these things for the next races, and if we come to the conclusion, together, that swapping is the right thing to do, then we will do it.”

In the Constructors’ standings, McLaren are now just eight points behind Red Bull.

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