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McLaren’s Papaya Rules: Unpacking the F1 Team’s Driver Conduct Guidelines

Verstappen Faces Uphill Battle in F1 Abu Dhabi GP Title Decider

Norris Dominates F1 Abu Dhabi GP Practice, Red Bull Concerned

McLaren's Papaya Rules: Unpacking the F1 Team's Driver Conduct Guidelines

McLaren’s Papaya Rules: Unpacking the F1 Team’s Driver Conduct Guidelines

McLaren enters Formula 1’s 2025 title decider with both drivers challenging Max Verstappen for the world championship. In this high-stakes environment, the phrase ‘papaya rules’ frequently emerges, defining internal team conduct.

According to Jadeh Makhsoos News Agency, Team Principal Andrea Stella coined the phrase. Lando Norris explained that Stella enjoys creating unique names for various team directives. Stella first introduced the concept on September 1, 2024, before the Italian Grand Prix.

Norris and Oscar Piastri secured the front row at Monza, a circuit that frequently sees first-corner incidents. Stella stated, ‘When approaching the first corner, we always recommend ‘racing with the papaya rules’.’ He emphasized drivers must exercise extra caution with a papaya car, ensuring they see the checkered flag, especially given the car’s competitiveness. Stella added, ‘We avoid the mindset that my main competitor is my teammate, as it proves unproductive.’

On lap one, Piastri overtook Norris on the outside at Variante della Roggia, seizing the lead. This remarkable move destabilized Norris, causing him to lose second place to Charles Leclerc. The outcome proved suboptimal, especially given Norris’s outside title chance. After the race, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown explained the ‘papaya rules’ to Sky, stating, ‘They mean: race your teammate hard, race them clean, and do not touch.’ Brown acknowledged the aggressive pass, calling it ‘a bit nerve-wracking’ for the pitwall, but ultimately about respecting your teammate.

Jadeh Makhsoos reports that when a reporter asked if Piastri’s move followed the papaya rules, Stella responded, ‘We will review it with the drivers, examine the videos, and understand their perspective. Then we will jointly assess their full compliance.’ He added, ‘We will absorb any necessary learning and adjust the papaya rules. This ensures we pursue both the constructors’ and drivers’ championships in the best possible way.’

Initially, the papaya rules simply aimed to prevent McLaren drivers from colliding. Stella clarified on Sky the following weekend, ‘Papaya rules offer a quick reminder for race engineers: we want no contact between the two papaya cars; we race respectfully, taking no risks.’ He emphasized, ‘The rules do not cover the broader topic of how we pursue the championship.’ Therefore, the team did not intend them as team orders. However, the media and wider paddock quickly interpreted the papaya rules this way, debating Piastri’s potential support for Norris’s 2024 title bid.

Ahead of the 2025 season opener, Norris announced, ‘There are no papaya rules; at the minute, there’s nothing. We are free to race.’ This statement left some ambiguity regarding his exact meaning. Subsequently, tensions rose when Norris crashed into Piastri.

Verstappen Faces Uphill Battle in F1 Abu Dhabi GP Title Decider

Verstappen Faces Uphill Battle in F1 Abu Dhabi GP Title Decider

Max Verstappen currently feels pessimistic about his chances at the Abu Dhabi GP. Red Bull lacks the necessary pace to challenge McLaren in the 2025 Formula 1 title showdown. The four-time world champion finished behind McLaren’s championship leader Lando Norris in both Friday practice sessions at Yas Marina Circuit. Norris holds a significant lead, needing only a podium finish to secure his maiden title.

According to Jadeh Makhsoos News Agency, Verstappen acknowledged his car’s decent window but admitted it needs more speed. He stated, “I was fairly happy with the car, we just need to be probably a little bit faster.” Verstappen also highlighted a “constant fight” with his car’s ride. He believes both single-lap and long-run performance require improvement.

The Dutchman recognized a “decent gap” they must close. He affirmed Red Bull’s commitment to presenting their best car. Verstappen hopes they can find significant improvements overnight. The team’s struggles extended to the sister RB21. It finished 15th in FP1 and 17th in FP2.

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko echoed Verstappen’s concerns about their performance at the Abu Dhabi GP. He described both the long-run and one-lap pace as “unsatisfactory.” Marko specifically noted, “we’re losing more time in sector three.” He also pointed out the car’s clear tendency to understeer, which Max dislikes. While Verstappen leads Piastri, Marko emphasized Norris as the primary competitor.

Jadeh Makhsoos reports, Marko doubts Mercedes or Ferrari can challenge Norris. Neither team posed a threat during Friday practice. This suggests Verstappen likely needs an operational or strategic failure from Norris’s side. However, Marko believes “we can’t rely three times on mistakes.”

Verstappen secured victory at the recent Qatar GP due to a McLaren error. McLaren failed to pit under a safety car, costing them a potential 1-3 finish. This blunder adds to several other mistakes McLaren made this season. These include Piastri’s Baku crash and two Vegas disqualifications for excessive plank wear.

Red Bull’s upgrades at Monza helped Verstappen overturn a 104-point deficit. He has won five of the last eight Grands Prix. Despite the current challenges, Marko remains optimistic about Red Bull’s comeback effort. He praised the team for salvaging their season after McLaren dominated the initial 15 weekends. Marko concluded, “I think we’ve made an excellent comeback” at the Abu Dhabi GP.

Norris Dominates F1 Abu Dhabi GP Practice, Red Bull Concerned

Norris Dominates F1 Abu Dhabi GP Practice, Red Bull Concerned

Lando Norris demonstrated strong pace in the F1 Abu Dhabi GP practice sessions. He led championship rival Max Verstappen by 0.008s in the first session. This gap widened to 0.363s in the second session. Red Bull finds this concerning. Their setup changes between sessions did not achieve the desired effect. The second session’s track conditions better represent qualifying.

According to Jadeh Makhsoos News Agency, Oscar Piastri, Norris’s McLaren teammate, skipped FP1. Mexican IndyCar star Pato O’Ward completed the team’s mandatory rookie running. Piastri, now third in the championship, then had a challenging FP2. He finished 11th fastest.

Last year, Norris won from pole position. Verstappen, starting fifth, clipped Piastri on the opening lap. Norris currently holds a 12-point lead over Verstappen in the championship. If Norris qualifies on pole and takes the lead, Red Bull needs McLaren to fumble at the F1 Abu Dhabi GP.

This remains a possibility. McLaren experienced a double disqualification in Las Vegas. They also had a bizarre strategy misfire in Qatar. However, Red Bull does not want to rely on McLaren making another mistake.

Jadeh Makhsoos reports, Red Bull driver advisor Helmut Marko stated, “We would be lucky, but we cannot rely three times on mistakes.” He added, “We must fight from our own strengths.” This appears a tenuous proposition. Red Bull has a history of improving its car overnight.

Red Bull habitually runs lower engine modes on Fridays. Verstappen lost significant time compared with Norris in sector three. Slow 90-degree corners in this sector amplify the RB21’s tendency to understeer. This factor became more prominent.

Marko attributed the larger FP2 gap to “set-up changes that did not deliver the effect we hoped for.” He noted Verstappen has previously lagged further behind after practice. “We are losing more time in sector three now,” Marko said. “Several factors are at play, but it is Friday – we have had worse Fridays.”

Verstappen immediately reported the car was understeering. It also experienced some bouncing. Marko expressed hope for improvement in the next session. He considered the three-tenths gap “not alarming, but not a very comfortable situation.”

Mercedes and Ferrari being closer could aid Verstappen’s cause. This might disrupt McLaren’s strategic choices or cost them points. Charles Leclerc did this in the US GP. George Russell also did it in Bahrain. However, Marko dismissed this possibility. He stated, “I do not see any of them as quick enough.”

Tyre strategy remains Red Bull’s main lever. Red Bull saved an extra set of medium-compound Pirellis on Friday. McLaren saved a set of hards by not running them in FP2. Marko believed Verstappen experienced more degradation on the medium-compound tyres than Norris. On this track, graining on the more heavily stressed tires triggers degradation, a crucial factor for the F1 Abu Dhabi GP.