The Papaya Rules are back. Managing internal battles was one of the hardest lessons McLaren had to learn in 2024. If we didn’t expect to see them in action from the very first race, McLaren quickly proved us wrong with a team order that halted Oscar Piastri’s pursuit of Lando Norris in the Australian Grand Prix.
At that stage of the race, the two McLaren drivers had a dominant pace over the rest of the grid. Oscar Piastri was the fastest driver on track and had managed to close the gap to Norris, signaling his intent to attack.
However, McLaren preferred not to take risks and instructed both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to “hold positions.” This effectively prevented the home driver from challenging his teammate for the lead.
The Truth in the Team Radios
Behind McLaren’s decision were factors that emerged in the radio conversations with both drivers. Weather conditions and the presence of lapped cars played a central role in the team’s call.
Lap 28: Norris and Piastri Lap Bearman
The sequence of events and team radio exchanges began here. Oscar Piastri’s race engineer, Tom Stallard, informed the Australian that “the cars ahead are Bearman and Ocon, they will be shown blue flags.” On this lap, both #4 and #81 overtook the Haas driver.
Lap 29: Lapping Ocon and the Key Communication
Lando Norris’s race engineer, Will Joseph, guided him through lapping Esteban Ocon and reassured him about Oscar Piastri behind. “Ocon should get the blue flags. [Steering wheel settings discussion]. Don’t worry about Oscar for now, first we clear the lapped cars, then we transition.”
The first key factor here is the presence of lapped cars. Joseph also mentioned a “transition,” and Stallard, speaking to Oscar Piastri, was more specific: “Oscar, hold positions, hold positions. [We are entering] the transition to dry conditions, let’s clear the lapped cars first. The next one is Ocon.” This brings up the second key factor: as the track was drying, McLaren wanted to avoid a battle between the two. Piastri accepted the instruction, though with some frustration: “I’m faster, but okay.”
Lap 30: Piastri’s Impatience
While Lando Norris’s radio focused on rain and tire conditions, Oscar Piastri grew impatient, eager to attack. “Are positions still frozen even now that we’ve cleared the lapped cars?” he asked. Stallard replied, “Yes, hold positions. Let us know your pace.” The request clearly irritated Oscar Piastri: “Do I really need to tell you my pace?”
Lap 31: Piastri’s First Mistake
This lap’s communications revolved around tire strategies and weather updates. However, another key moment occurred: Oscar Piastri slightly lost ground, dropping beyond the one-second gap due to a mistake at Turn 6.
Lap 32: “Free to Race” and Piastri’s Second Mistake
On the main straight, Stallard informed Piastri that he was now free to race Norris. “Okay, Oscar, you are free to race now; you know the rules. Weather update: no rain until lap 43.” But in this very lap, likely in an attempt to close in on Lando Norris again, Oscar Piastri went off at Turn 6 for the second time. This mistake was more severe, sending him through the gravel and costing him nearly two seconds.
Lap 34: Norris Also Receives the Communication
McLaren only informed Norris that both drivers were “free to race” two laps later. “Gap to Oscar is 3.4; from now on, you are both free to race, free to fight each other,” Joseph confirmed. It’s worth noting that on lap 33, there had been a long discussion about tires and possible scenarios in case of returning rain. Additionally, considering the gap created after Piastri’s second off-track moment, McLaren was able to delay notifying Norris by one more lap.
There are many angles to analyze regarding the reasoning behind the team orders. While it is clear that battling while lapping cars was not ideal, it remains uncertain what exactly led McLaren to consider the “transition to dry” conditions complete.
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