McLaren to Reevaluate ‘Papaya Rules’ After Piastri-Norris Clash at Monza’s First Lap

McLaren plans to reassess the 'papaya rules' following the first-lap battle between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at Monza.

McLaren plans to assess if Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris adhered to the team's "papaya rules" during their initial lap competition at the F1 Italian Grand Prix.

Starting from pole position, Norris dropped to third place during a dramatic first lap at Monza, as Piastri executed an impressive move around the outside of his teammate at the Della Roggia chicane.

Norris, who came in third place after Piastri, expressed his disapproval of the Australian for getting "way too close for comfort" during the maneuver, believing it jeopardized both McLaren cars.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella stated that they will need to collaborate with the drivers, analyze the videos, consider their perspectives, and then jointly determine if they fully adhered to the rules.

"We will identify and apply any lessons necessary and modify the Papaya Rules accordingly, to optimally compete for both the constructors' and drivers' championships."

McLaren's performance reduced Red Bull's lead in the constructors' championship to a mere eight points, and Norris has narrowed the gap to Max Verstappen in the drivers' standings to 62 points.

Stella mentioned that it is now time to recognize that winning the constructor championship is within reach.

"Given our current car performance and the challenges Red Bull is facing, it's definitely within reach, even from a driver's perspective."

"In order to win both championships, we need to ensure that the team and Lando are in the best possible condition to succeed."

In the end, McLaren was defeated by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who managed to win with a single pit stop. Stella acknowledged that his team might have underestimated how quickly their tires would wear out, leading them to choose a more conservative two-stop strategy.

He explained that their car usually performs well with the rear tires, but they often face issues with front tire graining due to their aggressive approach.

"This situation made us somewhat anxious, particularly since Lando had experienced a front-left wheel lock-up a few laps earlier. Typically, for us, this would indicate that the tires were beginning to have difficulties."

Looking back, I believe that there wasn't sufficient tire wear for Leclerc to overtake him using a two-stop strategy. We fell short by just a few laps, but even a few laps can make a significant difference.

"It’s still uncertain if we could have secured victory in the race. However, it appears the tires may have had more performance to offer than we initially expected."

"Clearly, everyone had uncertainties going into the race since no one had tested the hard tires during practice sessions. Being in third place, it's simpler to gamble on a one-stop strategy compared to leading the race. If the plan fails, the final stages of the race could be disastrous."

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