Juan Pablo Montoya believes that the ‘papaya rules’ favor Oscar Piastri as he is not fighting for the championship. The former Formula 1 driver suggests that the much-discussed overtaking move by the Australian on his teammate in Monza is evidence of this.
The ‘papaya rules’ refer to McLaren’s internal guidelines for their drivers, designed to prevent them from driving each other off the track during races. Montoya believes that Piastri was aware during the Italian Grand Prix that Lando Norris did not want to take major risks. “Piastri took advantage of the papaya rules because he knew that Lando could not attack him as he is fighting for the championship and is vulnerable to crashes,” says the Colombian.
With eight races left this season, Norris has indeed gained ground on Max Verstappen in Italy, but he still left 10 points behind. Red Bull is performing below their usual level and has not won a race since the Spanish Grand Prix in June. The upcoming races in Azerbaijan and Singapore offer further opportunities for McLaren and Norris to close the gap, as Red Bull struggled significantly in Marina Bay last year.
