Your teammate is your first rival, but McLaren is said to have a clause preventing Lando Norris from attacking Oscar Piastri.
When it comes to ambitious young drivers like Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, no rule can stop them from fighting—so long as it doesn’t harm the team’s results.
McLaren is well aware of this and has its own “papaya rules.” However, some believe that if the team remains competitive, new regulations may be needed to ensure that neither driver is given priority over the other.
According to Jacques Villeneuve, a clause regarding team orders ensures that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri receive equal treatment in this early phase of the championship. “What matters now for McLaren is having a car that both drivers can handle well, which means they can control their position in the championship,” the world champion told CardPlayer.
“Lando always struggles with the front end and tends to wear out the tires a bit too much. China is an understeering track that eats up the front tires. He has always had some extra difficulty on that circuit,” he stated.
Villeneuve believes that a first or second place finish makes no difference as long as McLaren is leading. However, he also thinks that over time, “Piastri will become a threat” to Norris and “his chances of winning the title.” At that point, the battle could come down to just the two teammates.
“They can’t give Lando priority over Oscar because of the contract. He has a contract that protects him,” Jacques Villeneuve revealed – “As long as both drivers have a chance to win the championship, there won’t be team orders. Unless something significantly important happens for the constructors’ title, or if one of them faces an issue in a race like last year,” the former Formula 1 driver concluded ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.
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