“Utter nonsense”: McLaren widely mocked for latest papaya rules saga – For those who remember the days of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost driving as team mates for McLaren, the current setup and handling of the team’s drivers is a far cry from those heady days of team mate rivalry.
The pair came together in woking in 1988 and immediately became the backbone of a McLaren revival which saw them win four consecutive constructors titles from 1988 onwards. The Senna Prost rivalry during 1998 and 1999 is today considered one of the most intense rivalries in F11 history and was marked by a contrast in driving styles, dramatic blue on blue crashes and a fierce battle for supremacy and titles.
In the first season Senna came out on top winning the drivers championship largely due to the points system meaning only the best eleven results of the season were included in the final tally. On the whole the racing was clean between the pair but at the Portuguese Grand Prix, the Brazilian in an effort to defend from his team mate, swerved dangerously at high speed towards Prost, who still completed the pass and taking the chequered flag.
McLaren driver history dramas
Prost already a double world champion began to suspect Honda was favouring Senna, given his strong relationship with the manufacturer. Come 1989 and the tensions between the pair boiled over dramatically. The Frenchman accused Senna of breaking a pre-race agreement in Imola which was that Ayrton would not challenge for the lead at turn one, then battle could commence.
The in season incidents continued and cultivated in both drivers vying for the championship at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka. The McLaren pair collided at the final chicane with Senna being disqualified for re-entering the track illegally handing the title to his arch rival Alain Prost.
Somewhat paranoid, Ayrton then accused FISA (then the sport’s governing body) of favouring his team mate accusing the FIA president frenchman Jean-Marie Balestre of favouring his countryman Prost.
Prost left for Ferrari the following year, but the rivalry between the pair continued. There was another title deciding crash in Suzuka, but this time it was Senna who went on to secure his second drivers’ title.
“Papaya rules” kill excitement
As is now, McLaren were dominant in 1988-1999 and it was a forgone conclusion one of their drivers would be champion. McLaren found themselves in a similar situation at the start of this year, but in an attempt to avoid a Senna/Prost kind of dynamic, created the infamous ‘papaya rules’ of engagement for how their drivers go racing.
Zak Brown and Andrea Stella revel week in and out that they let their drivers race. The first papaya rule was the team comes first as McLaren attempt their first back to back constructors’ championship since 1992. This broadly kept the pair in line, although a few near misses have happened along the way this year.
In Austria Piastri was warned over team radio after he locked up into turn four almost taking Norris out. Similarly in Hungary as Norris was leading again, Piastri missed the rear of his team mates car by millimetres as he attenmtped to outbreak him into turn one to claim victory.
At the recent Singapore Grand Prix, Piastri was ahead of Norris at the start. Yet the Australian left the door open on the inside into turn three and Norris did as any racer would do – try and take advantage, yet a dawdling Max Verstappen ahead meant Lando touched the back of the RB21. This bumped him slight sideways into his team mate, who complained immediately the team should instruct Norris to give the place back.
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With the stewards declaring it a racing incident, McLaren inform their Aussie driver they would also be taking no further action during the race. The incident was nigh on universally accepted by punters from the various broadcasters, that on review it was exactly as the stewards declared, merely an opening lap incident with no intention form Norris to put his team mate into the wall.
Yet on arriving in Austin Texas, it appears McLaren have declared Norris the aggressor and Paistri the injured party and the result is that Lando will face undeclared “consequences” for the rest of the season. The drivers, Andrea Stella and Zak Brown have understandably been pestered to reveal for McLaren fans what exactly the “consequences” are.
Tight lipped all four refuse to reveal the ‘punishment’ Norris will receive, yet the real question not yet asked is why did McLaren come to the opinion that. Norris was at fault, when ex-drivers, pundits and veteran writers all agree it was a racing incident.
Of course far from putting the matter to bed with the ‘no comment’, ‘nothing to see hear’ behaviour, the matter is one of the most significant talking points as we come into the Sarurday track sessions. Ex-F1 racer Timo Glock who is no stranger to controversy believes McLaren are making a mockery of themselves with the micro management of their drivers via the “papaya rules.”
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Former F1 driver mocks McLaren – “utter nonsense”
Speaking to Sky Germany, the former BMW driver pours scorn on McLaren’s behaviour, firstly joking: “Lando’s allowance was cut. He’s been grounded.” Glock continues stating McLaren have just created a drama for no reason at all. “Either state clearly what’s going on, or say nothing at all. They should say, ‘We have our Papaya Rules, whatever they are, and we keep them to ourselves.’ But this ‘yes, there are consequences, but we’re not going to say it,’ is utter nonsense.”
McLaren’s persistent interference with the drivers saw Piastri told to hand back the place in Monza because Norris had suffered at the hands of the pit crew with a five second delay. Glock believes this internal fiddling could cause McLaren to lose the drivers’ championship to max Verstappen.
“Max laughs his head off at things like that,” said the German. “He takes it all in stride and thinks to himself, ‘Just argue, I’ll be right there if you crash into each other’s cars again.’ I have no idea what the point of this little drama is to the outside world.”
Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone believes McLaren are trying to engineer so one particular of their drivers becomes world champion. Speaking to Bild he says: “Max will be world champion again,” he said. “All signs from McLaren point to them wanting Norris to win the title. That’s why he, in second place, and Piastri, the championship leader, are taking points away from each other. So Max will do it again.”
Brown prefers rules over winning
Zak Brown was asked about this scenario at the team principals press conference after practice on Friday. Although before his time McLaren suffered a similar fate in 2007 when their drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso took points off each other, allowing Kimi Raikkonen to nip in at the final race of the year and eclipse them both by a single point.
When this was pointed out to Brown, he learned back muttering remarkably “Ah Kimi…. So be it.” Presumably this means McLaren believe that the never ending tinkering with the rules of engagement for its drivers is more important than one of them becoming world champion.
The problem is all rules are interpretative when looking at racing incidents, and one driver from another will feel vindicated or mistreated however the final decision falls. Max Verstappen weighed in on the ever present McLaren attempts at complete ‘fairness.”
Vertsappen laughs at McLaren micro management
According to Verstappen, by revealing the ridiculous secret repercussions drama McLaren has “brought this on themselves” by trying to treat both drivers equally, which he finds difficult to orchestrate. He even went as far as joking that his father, Jos Verstappen, if he were running McLaren, wouldn’t have any rules and would just tell the drivers to “step on the gas”
Whilst incredibly difficult for Max to catch Piastri, needing to score roughly ten points more than the Aussie over the remaining six race weekends. One DNF for Oscar and its game on. Verstappen has clawed back 41 points over the past three race weekends his deficit to the championship leader is 63, but the Red Bull car is now working at all kinds of venues.
McLaren should be focusing on the Red Bull charge rather than silly internal repercussions which Zak Brown says only the most experienced observer will notice. Stop meddling McLaren and lets properly go racing.
Why Cadillac are a true American F1 team and Haas are not
Coming to the US Grand Prix, there were reports that Cadillac would be showing up in some form, yet the newest Formula One team set to debut in 2026 has so far been noticeable by their absence.
Cadillac are marketing themselves as the true American F1 team given Haas F1 squandered their chance to be the US fans favourite. They chose to become an F1 kit car manufacturer buying in European components rather than building their own. Their chassis is built by Italian company Dallara and their power unit and many associated parts come from Ferrari.
There was no attempt by Gene Haas to cross market his team with the NASCAR where he also dashed and any hope of claiming the loyalty of the stars and stripes when they turned up for testing with a livery wrapped as the Russian Federations flag due to tens of millions paid by the team’s Russian title sponsor. If that’s not selling out, what is?…. READ MORE
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
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