Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were given the freedom to race each other at the Italian GP weekend under ‘papaya rules’. Unfortunately, Piastri’s lap one overtaking move on Norris compromised McLaren’s race and cost him a chance at victory. Recognizing the mistake, McLaren has decided to prioritize Norris moving forward, putting the Bristol-born driver under increased pressure.
The ‘papaya rules‘ which McLaren laid out, simply meant that the two drivers could race each other respectfully, without making contact. These rules will no longer apply. Team Principal Andrea Stella feels that Norris has a real chance at winning the Drivers’ championship, and wants to support the 24-year-old in his pursuit.
“Before Monza, we were a bit cautious,” Stella said as per Funoanalisitecnica. “But now we can see that McLaren can compete on circuits where last year we were not competitive.”
McLaren says it will review Oscar Piastri’s lap one pass on Lando Norris in the #ItalianGP to see if it complied with its ‘Payapa Rules’.https://t.co/e4yXail4yl#F1
— Jon Noble (@NobleF1) September 1, 2024
“We have a very competitive package and this could prove to be a very important weapon. Especially for Lando in the championship race,” he added.
McLaren will support Norris, but the Briton must also step up. He hasn’t fully capitalized on his opportunities this season, converting only one of the four pole positions he has secured in 2024.
Norris needs to improve his starts and reduce unforced errors. With McLaren’s support, this will be essential for him to close the 62-point gap behind Max Verstappen, who currently leads the Drivers’ standings.
Brown to discuss Piastri’s move on Norris internally
Norris and Piastri started the Italian GP from 1-2, respectively, and maintained their positions. Given that McLaren was the fastest car on the day, the team likely hoped for their drivers to finish in the same positions they started. However, Piastri’s overtaking move on Norris surprised the latter, who then dropped to P3 as Charles Leclerc passed him.
From there, Norris could do little, and McLaren’s strategy was compromised. Norris had to chase Leclerc, while Piastri was focused on building a gap up front, which ruled out a one-stop strategy.
Ultimately, the papaya cars lost track positions and finished the race in P2 and P3, with Piastri ahead. It was a less-than-ideal result for Norris, who could have closed the gap to Verstappen by an additional 10 points had he won the race.
Talking about the overtake, CEO Zak Brown said, “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. So it’s something we’ll discuss internally.”
With just eight rounds remaining, McLaren cannot afford slip-ups like those at Monza, or Norris’ title hopes will continue to dwindle with each passing race.
