Oscar Piastri explains how McLaren’s so‑called ‘papaya rules’ are a much less significant point of contention inside the team than they are outside. There was especially in 2025 a lot of noise about the British team’s rules for its drivers, but according to the Australian far less attention was paid to them internally: ‘We have our own way of racing’.
The so‑called ‘papaya rules’ of McLaren were repeatedly a topic of discussion in 2025. Especially after the Italian GP in Monza — when McLaren, by means of team orders, asked Oscar Piastri to make way for Lando Norris following a slow pit stop — the controversial rules were widely debated. But not within McLaren itself, Piastri reveals.
“There’s a lot of talk about (the ‘papaya rules’, ed.). I think behind the scenes it’s a much smaller discussion and a much smaller issue than it appears,” Piastri explains to TODAY. “But we have our own way of racing and that evolves constantly.”
‘Keep evaluating’
Many critics wondered, particularly toward the end of the season — when Max Verstappen became an ever‑bigger threat to McLaren’s title hopes — whether the Brits’ race philosophy wasn’t naive. Piastri stresses, however, that the team continues to evaluate the ‘rules’. “We’re going to do an evaluation, and we’ve already evaluated, you know, do we want to do things exactly the same (in 2026, ed.)? Do we want to change things a little? So yes, we’ll get that fully under control before we race again. But I think the intentions were always good and we’ll make some adjustments if we find that’s necessary to make life a bit easier for ourselves,” the Australian concludes.
