McLaren's 'Papaya Rules' dilemma in Lando Norris-Oscar Piastri title battle analysed by Ted Kravitz and Jamie Chadwick

McLaren must reduce their interference in the title battle between team-mates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, according to Sky Sports F1's Jamie Chadwick and Ted Kravitz.

Championship leader Piastri was left aggrieved when Norris, his nearest challenger in the standings, caused the two papaya cars to make contact during a first-lap overtake in Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix, which ultimately resulted in the gap between them being reduced to 22 points with six rounds remaining.

With McLaren having dominated for much of the season, team principal Andrea Stella and chief executive Zak Brown have attempted to manage the contest between their drivers by enforcing 'Papaya Rules', an evolving code of conduct in which the main principle is to avoid collisions with each other.

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After the lap-one incident, Piastri suggested over the radio that the McLaren pit wall should instruct Norris to give him back third position, as the Brit had breached the team's rules by making contact.

Stella and Brown explained after the race that the request was rejected on the grounds that they believed Norris only caused the collision with Piastri as he attempted to steer away from a first bit of contact with Max Verstappen ahead.

Despite Piastri having offered a more measured assessment of the incident in his post-race interviews, the saga has led many to suggest it's time for McLaren to stop interfering in the battle, especially as they sealed a second successive Constructors' Championship in Singapore.

On the latest episode of Sky Sports' The F1 Show, Kravitz said: "I think this is the one that's going to tip them into actually having to abandon, not the papaya rules, which just say 'don't crash into each other', but the consequences that happen after that."

Three-time W Series champion Chadwick added: "I think McLaren are almost trying to be too fair all the time.

"They're trying so hard to keep it equal between the pair of them that that's what's caused this kind of situation where Oscar, and I can't actually blame him for it, is on the radio making these calls to try to get the position back, because you've got to play the system, you've got to work with everything you've got.

"And he knows there's a system in place, and Oscar's very smart in the car. And he'll know, 'if I can play the system to work for me, that's, potentially more points I can get.' So he's using the situation he's in.

"I think he'll look back at it and move on and not think too much of it. But at the same time, they're almost trying to be fair. They've created this sort of situation that... some people think is biased one way or the other.

"What I want to see now is the rules put to the side. Obviously, they can't be taking each other out, but I cannot wait to see them go wheel to wheel. Now, the potential situation allows for that.

"They say that it's allowed for that the whole year through, but equally, it hasn't been crunch point in the season with the championship. But now it's going to get to crunch point and we're going to get to the last few races and they are going to be wheel to wheel for a championship. I'm excited to watch that. And I'm excited to see how that falls into place."

Ted: 'Warm and cosy' atmosphere creating problems

Kravitz also compared McLaren's current approach to how the team was run in the past, as he pointed out that some of the Woking squad's legendary drivers would never have been expected to adhere to such rules.

He said: "This is the new McLaren. And I've been thinking quite deeply about this. And this is the first time the new McLaren has won back-to-back Constructors' Championships since the old McLaren.

"The old McLaren won their first constructors in 1974 and then through the 1970s with Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost-Ayrton Senna, even Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard under the Ron Dennis McLaren.

"Yes, they would have had the rules and the 'please don't knock into each other,' but they certainly wouldn't have had any of these 'let's try and make it fair to each other by giving places back, and we're going to have a detailed discussion about that.'

"It just wouldn't have happened in the old McLaren.

"And so, in trying to be fairer, the new warm and cosy McLaren, not the rather more, every driver for himself, old school Ron Dennis McLaren, I think that's part of them creating these problems for themselves in the way that they want to be nicey-nicey."

F1's title race now heads back to North America, with the United States Grand Prix in Austin up first on October 17-19 live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime

(c) Sky Sports 2025: McLaren's 'Papaya Rules' dilemma in Lando Norris-Oscar Piastri title battle analysed by Ted Kravitz and Jamie Chadwick