Source – Formula1.com
After Monza revived the argument about whether team directives are necessary at McLaren, Zak Brown has shared his interpretation of the meaning behind the “papaya rules.” Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris engaged in a race to the death on the first lap of the Italian Grand Prix, with the Australian able to get past Norris, who had started first, and finish ahead of the British driver.
The 2024 Italian Grand Prix at Monza was meant to be a pivotal moment in the championship fight, a race where Lando Norris could finally close the gap on the seemingly unstoppable Max Verstappen. As the two drivers arrived in Italy, the stakes were sky-high, with just 70 points separating them in the Drivers’ Championship. With Verstappen uncharacteristically struggling, finishing a distant sixth, the door was wide open for Norris to seize the opportunity. But instead of a defining victory, the McLaren star was left to ponder what might have been after crossing the line in third.
The race started with immense promise for McLaren. The team had been a force to be reckoned with all weekend, and as the lights went out, Norris and his teammate Oscar Piastri rocketed off the line, locked in a fierce battle for supremacy. But what should have been a harmonious one-two for the papaya-clad duo quickly turned into a dramatic showdown that would alter the course of the race.
Zak Brown, McLaren’s CEO, later reflected on the chaos that ensued. “It was aggressive, it was an aggressive move [by Piastri],” Brown admitted, speaking to Sky Sports F1. “Their start was great and that was what we had discussed, kind of get behind the other and fan out to make sure nobody else could get by.” But what unfolded on track was far from the orchestrated plan. Piastri, eager to prove his mettle, pulled off a daring overtake on Norris at Turn 4, a move that caught his teammate by surprise and set off a chain of events that would ultimately hand the victory to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Norris, compromised by Piastri’s move, struggled for traction exiting the corner, allowing Leclerc to capitalize and launch an attack into the Lesmos. The tifosi erupted as Leclerc surged past, setting the stage for his fairytale win at Monza. Meanwhile, McLaren was left to rue a missed opportunity. The team had allowed their drivers to race, but in doing so, they had opened the door for Ferrari, a decision that would have far-reaching consequences.
As Leclerc celebrated on the podium, the post-mortem at McLaren had already begun. Brown was candid in his assessment, acknowledging that the “Papaya rules” – the unwritten code that dictates how McLaren drivers should race each other – had been tested to the limit. “I think Lando was probably caught by surprise with that move, thinking let’s just tuck into a one-two and see if we can pull a bit of a gap,” Brown explained. “So it’s something we’ll discuss internally. Papaya rules are it’s your teammate; race him hard, race him clean, don’t touch, that happened.”
Despite the tension on the pit wall, Brown was quick to emphasize that Piastri’s move, though aggressive, had been clean. “It was an aggressive pass but a clean pass,” he noted. Yet, the outcome left a bitter taste, as McLaren’s hopes of a one-two finish evaporated before their eyes. “Lando got a bad run out of that corner as well so it would have been nice to see them run one-two a bit longer,” Brown lamented.
For Norris, the race was a case of what might have been. His P3 finish, coupled with a bonus point for the fastest lap, did reduce the gap to Verstappen to 62 points, but had he won, that margin would have shrunk to just 52. It was a golden opportunity squandered, one that could haunt McLaren as the championship battle heats up.
The ramifications of the race were felt not just in the drivers’ standings but also in the constructors’ battle. McLaren’s strong showing allowed them to close the gap to Red Bull to just eight points, but Ferrari’s triumph at Monza thrust them back into contention as well. With eight races remaining, the fight for the constructors’ title is far from over, and every point will count.
Team Principal Andrea Stella, while congratulating Ferrari on their victory, couldn’t hide his disappointment with the outcome. “It was a disappointing result for McLaren,” Stella admitted. He reiterated that any discussion of team orders would be handled on a case-by-case basis, but acknowledged that a review of the events at Monza was necessary. “We will have to take a look with some calm and have a review together with them and assess the situation,” Stella said. “If there is any learning to take from there, we will take it for the future.”
The question now is whether McLaren will reconsider their approach to team orders as the season progresses. The decision to let their drivers race freely at Monza may have cost them a victory, but it also highlighted the delicate balance the team must strike between allowing their drivers to compete and securing the best possible result for the team.
As the F1 circus moves on to Azerbaijan after a brief hiatus, McLaren will have time to reflect on the events at Monza. With the championship battles still wide open, the pressure is on for the team to make the right calls in the races to come. One thing is certain: the debate over team orders at McLaren is far from settled, and the decisions made in the coming weeks could define their season.
