Uncovered Oscar Piastri clip sheds new light on Norris Singapore GP collision

If you’d have asked Oscar Piastri to define ‘papaya rules’ — McLaren’s much-discussed mandate for driving standards between its teammates — back in August, he’d have told you one thing: “Don’t crash into each other.”

A clip of Piastri defining that very clear standard of operation has made the rounds online following first-lap contact between the two McLaren drivers at the start of the Singapore Grand Prix, prompting questions about the team’s handling of the situation.

Oscar Piastri “papaya rules” definition emerges once again

In an video interview with Autosport released in mid-August, during F1 2025’s summer break, Oscar Piastri was asked to define ‘papaya rules’ — or, the driving standard that McLaren holds both of its racers to as they battle for a championship sweep.

“There’s always been a lot more made out of ‘papaya rules’ than what there actually is,” Piastri stated with a laugh.

“It is literally one rule: don’t crash into each other.”

But that one critical rule was violated during the start of the Singapore Grand Prix. Lando Norris took advantage of a strong start and a gap on the track to dive past his teammate into Turn 3. However, that gap narrowed quickly, leaving Norris clattering into Max Verstappen’s Red Bull RB21 and bouncing back into his teammate.

Norris suffered a bit of front wing damage but was able to use the move to assert himself into third place. Piastri, meanwhile, took evasive action to avoid hitting the wall before having to settle into fourth place.

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Piastri was clearly frustrated with his teammate’s actions, which likely seemed to be a clear violation of McLaren’s only mandate.

“Yeah, I mean, that wasn’t very team-like, but sure,” Piastri said over the radio. Moments later, he continued, “So, are we cool with Lando just barging me out of the way? What’s the go there?”

His race engineer Tom Stallard later clarified, “As a team, we see Lando had to avoid Verstappen, so we won’t take any action during the race. We can review further afterwards.”

“Mate, that’s not fair,” Piastri said. “That’s not fair.”

“We’ll have the opportunity to review afterwards, just focus on the race,” Stallard replied.

“If he has to avoid another car by crashing into his teammate, then that’s a pretty **** job of avoiding,” Piastri said.

The incident caused many fans to revisit Piastri’s August Autosport interview, with the singular “don’t crash” rule prompting further questions about McLaren’s decision. Piastri seemed to feel that that “don’t crash” mandate meant no crashing under any circumstances; McLaren seems to be suggesting that there are indeed instances in which a collision is acceptable.

That makes Piastri’s next statement in the Autosport clip particularly compelling.

“I think, you know, we’ve always been very open about how we go racing, and I think trying to not spring any surprises on us as drivers,” Piastri said.

“That’s been the biggest thing because that’s where things become difficult, when you don’t expect something to happen.”

The Singapore contact was not the only time Piastri questioned a McLaren decision based on what he understood to be previously agreed-upon standards.

At the Italian Grand Prix, Lando Norris in second was one position ahead of his teammate and was therefore able to suggest that Piastri pit first. The Australian’s stop was clean, but a wheel gun issue saw Norris delayed in returning to the track — where he came out behind his teammate.

Piastri was then instructed to cede position to Norris, a decision that he questioned on the radio.

“I mean, we said a slow pit stop was part of racing, so I don’t really get what’s changed here,” he told the team. However, he did as he was told.

The Australian driver did indeed note to the media ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that it’s impossible for any team to anticipate every variable that could come into play but that he believed they’d all come to a greater understanding of what to expect during a race. But Piastri has been thrown for a loop twice in recent succession.

With the constructors’ championship decided in McLaren’s favor, many onlookers are now wondering how long the “papa rules” ethos will continue to hold up.

Read next: Singapore GP conclusions: Norris corners Piastri, Russell’s big chance, double Red Bull exit?