McLaren rolls back ‘Papaya Rules’ team orders for Las Vegas GP
Oscar Piastri says that McLaren has rolled back its ‘Papaya Rules’ team orders – which means he is no longer automatically playing a support role to Lando Norris.
As part of McLaren’s efforts to try to help Norris beat Max Verstappen to the drivers’ championship, the Woking-based squad got Piastri to help out when appropriate to maximise his team-mate’s points-scoring opportunities.
This resulted in him sacrificing the sprint race victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix, and also moving aside in the main event at Interlagos.
However, with Norris’s hopes of winning the crown now all but over after Verstappen’s triumph at Interlagos, Piastri has revealed that there has been a change of approach from McLaren.
And while it is not impossible that he may be called upon in certain circumstances to help Norris, for now he is once again unleashed to chase victories himself.
Asked by Motorsport.com if what became known as ‘Papaya Rules’ had changed, Piastri said: “Pretty much, yes.
“There’s still some, let’s say, very specific scenarios where I might be needed to help out. But for the very large majority of situations, it’s back to how it was.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team
Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images
“The drivers’ championship picture is very slim, and the constructors’ championship is certainly not over for us.
“It’s certainly not a done deal, so that’s definitely the biggest thing. So it’s a very specific few scenarios that maybe I’ll still help out if that’s what I’m asked to do, but I’m going into the weekend trying to win.”
While Piastri did not object to being asked to help support Norris when requested, he says that having clarity that he is out there for himself is a much better scenario.
“To be honest, I wasn’t that disappointed with giving that up,” he said. “Of course, I would have loved to have won the sprint, but it’s a very different scenario to a grand prix.
“I think I proved what I wanted to prove in terms of qualifying on pole. And that was just to myself. Even if I had won the sprint, qualifying on pole was probably the more satisfying thing for me.
“I knew I did the right thing in the sprint, and that’s good for me. So yeah, I’m happy that we don’t have to go into those kinds of things as much anymore.
“And obviously next year, I want to make sure that I’m not in a position, championship-wise, to be subject to that.
“But in reality, I probably needed to help out that one time in Brazil and that’s been it. So it’s been a lot of talk, but not much on-track action.”