However, thanks to the tire advantage he gained, which allowed him to drive longer on the new wheels, Piastri made up time on Norris. When the team made a mistake during Norris’ pit stop and Norris lost more time, Piastri was suddenly over. In the spirit of fairness, McLaren was forced to react and instructed Piastri to let Norris pass again, even though he could not be blamed for the poor pit stop.
As long as the Drivers’ World Championship was a duel between Piastri and Norris, the racing team’s excessive actions caused surprise at times, but they did not harm the team as a whole and created maximum excitement for the fans. Now that Verstappen is knocking on the door again, another aspect is more important: Piastri and Norris took points away from each other. This is also why the noose around McLaren’s neck is now tightening. The prestigious driver’s title is in serious danger.
Before the Mexican Grand Prix, the racing team now has to ask itself whether, given the danger posed by Verstappen, it would not be wiser to throw the previous requirement of fairness overboard and rely entirely on a driver in the fight with the Dutchman.
The likelihood that McLaren will suddenly abolish the “Papaya Rules” is slim. The open duel between the two drivers is a tradition at the British racing team. Norbert Haug, who held a responsible position at McLaren for a long time in his role as Mercedes Motorsport Director, vehemently defended this tradition before the season: “In my opinion, that’s exactly how racing works. I’ve never been a fan of stable orders, even if not using them cost us world championship titles,” he said in an interview on t-online.
In fact, McLaren’s stubborn insistence on equality between drivers has already cost them world titles. The last time was in the 2007 season, when the team let the then defending champion Fernando Alonso and rookie Lewis Hamilton race against each other until Kimi Räikkönen in the Ferrari won the title with a sensational final sprint.