Source:REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
[Saba Sports News] Dutch F1 driver Max Verstappen criticized McLaren’s internal terminology during an interview with Dutch broadcaster Viaplay. He slammed the so-called “papaya rule” of the McLaren team, stating that the notion of fair competition between teammates was absurd and remarked that if he heard such talk from his engineer, it would make him shut up immediately. As a team, they could have resolved the competitive issues between drivers in a simpler and better way. The papaya rule refers to an internal management strategy implemented by McLaren in the 2024 season to adjust the competitive strategies between their two drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The background of this rule stems from the conservative strategies of the McLaren team at the start of the season, which failed to maximize the car’s performance, resulting in a points deficit. The team hoped that by adjusting the rules, they could unlock Norris’s potential and narrow the points gap with the Red Bull team in the remaining races. However, in practice, this papaya rule has somewhat diminished Norris’s chances of contending for the World Championship.