The return of the papaya rules
One of the great curiosities surrounding McLaren’s 2026 season is the internal dynamic between the two drivers, after all the discussions and decisions – more or less agreeable – that the Woking team made during the last championship. Despite some obvious moments of tension, Norris and Piastri managed to make their relationship survive the controversial ‘papaya rules’. The problem, however, could resurface this year, all the more so considering the #1 that Norris carries on the nose of his MCL40, which inevitably gives him a different status compared to that of his teammate.
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The issue also emerged during the press conference in Melbourne, and Piastri was asked if and how the outcome of last season had an impact on his understanding of team orders. In his response, Piastri was very diplomatic and, while highlighting some critical issues that emerged in the 2025 season, reiterated that he has no intention of getting into a fight with his team.
Rebellion? No thanks
“From my point of view, we will always race in the interest of the team – commented the Australian – we have always had the freedom to race for our individual results as well. Perhaps on some occasions we didn’t always make the perfect decision, but the important thing is that there was never any bad intention in this. We learned a lot about things we can do differently and things we can do better. But I have nothing to prove. I certainly have no intention of rebelling or anything like that – he concluded – because a pretty quick way to ensure you don’t win a championship is to go against your own team, so I don’t think it’s a very wise move. We have discussed and worked on the things we can improve this year”.
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