The Brazilian GP has realistically ended Lando Norris’s championship hopes, barring a major upset in Las Vegas. However, it also carries broader significance from multiple perspectives. Over the weekend in São Paulo, McLaren showcased the best examples of its revised “Papaya Rules” to support the Briton in his title pursuit.
On Saturday, during the sprint race, Oscar Piastri ceded victory to his teammate a few laps from the finish, not without some discontent in giving up a win he had objectively earned up to that point. Nevertheless, with a challenging championship situation that still offered a slim hope of a lead change, McLaren had made its choice to fully back Norris, provided it didn’t harm their Constructors’ standings.
Max Verstappen’s victory in Sunday’s race at São Paulo, recovering from near the back of the grid, has reshaped the championship scenario, extending his lead over Norris to 62 points with 86 still available. Norris’s title hopes have now dwindled to almost nothing, prompting McLaren to revise its Papaya Rules for the final part of the season and give Piastri the opportunity to fight for standout results again.
Goodbye to Papaya Rules 2.0
This was confirmed by the Australian driver himself, who, ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, stated that from this weekend onward, he would no longer play a support role for his teammate to maximize Norris’s championship hopes and could instead race freely.
When asked if the Papaya Rules had changed after the Brazilian GP, Piastri affirmed that McLaren had relaxed these internal rules, though there could still be very specific situations where his assistance might be requested. The team remains clear that its main goal is to elevate McLaren as high as possible, particularly with the Constructors’ title dream gradually becoming more attainable. Situations like those in Azerbaijan a few months ago, where Norris attempted to slow Sergio Perez to allow Piastri to pit and rejoin ahead, might still arise.
“They’ve definitely changed since Brazil. There are still a few very specific scenarios where my help might be needed. But for the vast majority of situations, things are back to normal. The hopes for the Drivers’ Championship are now very slim, and the Constructors’ fight is far from over for us,” the Australian said about team orders, marking the end of Papaya Rules 2.0.
“The Constructors’ Championship is still very much in play, so that’s the priority. There are specific scenarios where I might help if asked, but I’ll approach the weekends aiming to win.”
Winning, with the goal of triumphing particularly in Sunday’s Grand Prix rather than Saturday’s sprint races, often viewed skeptically by drivers. While Piastri admitted some frustration at having to give up a win, he knows he did everything necessary to prove he deserved success in that race, starting with taking pole position on Friday afternoon.
“To be honest, I wasn’t too upset about giving up the sprint win. I would have liked to win it, but it’s a very different scenario compared to a Grand Prix. I think I proved what I wanted to prove by taking pole position. And that was just for me. Even if I’d won the sprint, qualifying on pole was probably the most satisfying part for me.”
“I knew I’d done the right thing in that situation, which is good for me. But yes, I’m happy I won’t have to face such situations anymore. And of course, next year, I want to ensure I’m not in a position in the championship where team orders are a factor. But in reality, I probably needed to help out in Brazil, and that’s that. There’s been a lot of talk about it, but not much happened on track.”
At this point, with the Papaya Rules revised, the aim must be to achieve the best possible result in Las Vegas, potentially fighting for top positions. Last year, McLaren was not among the weekend’s key players, due to technical issues and a qualifying session where strategic missteps led to both cars being eliminated in Q1. In the race, Piastri managed a good recovery to secure a top-10 finish.
A different situation in Las Vegas compared to 2023
The scenario this year is drastically different from 2023. As shown in Baku and Monza, even on low-downforce tracks, the MCL38 has made significant progress, though graining remains a concern.
“I’m not too worried. I think last year’s race wasn’t bad. There were some issues. I remember moving from the back to the front and then back to the middle, doing something like 20 overtakes! So I’m not too worried,” Oscar Piastri said before highlighting the strides made with the car on this type of circuit, where McLaren has worked extensively on development to address the shortcomings of the previous MCL60.
“Last year, we got the strategy a bit wrong. Our pace wasn’t incredible, but I think some other factors made it seem worse than it really was. This year, I believe the car is much improved. It has a broader range of strengths. So I’m not too concerned. I think Ferrari will be very strong, but I believe we’re still in a good position.”
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