McLaren Formula 1 driver Oscar Piastri has endorsed team principal Andrea Stella's plan to streamline the team's 'papaya rules' for the 2026 season, aiming to avoid unnecessary complications from the previous year. The rules, which govern fair competition between Piastri and teammate Lando Norris, were reviewed after incidents in 2025 that sparked debate. Piastri believes the tweaks will preserve the positives while reducing distractions.
McLaren's 'papaya rules'—internal guidelines ensuring fair and sportsmanlike racing between teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris—have been a focal point since their introduction. For the 2026 season, team boss Andrea Stella announced a refined approach following a thorough winter review, emphasizing simplicity without compromising core principles like fairness and equal opportunities.
Stella, speaking at a pre-season event at the McLaren Technology Centre, told media including PlanetF1: "We got quite a lot of feedback already during the season last year... All these have led us to reaffirm, fundamentally, the concepts of fairness, integrity, equal opportunities, and sportsmanship. They are all fundamental for the team, for Lando, and for Oscar."
He added that the team identified ways to "streamline the way in which we operate collectively," reducing the workload on staff and drivers. Specifics remain undisclosed, but the changes stem from 2025 challenges. Key incidents included the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where Piastri was instructed to yield position to Norris after the Briton's slow pit stop—a call Piastri disagreed with, affecting his mindset into the Baku race. In Singapore, Norris received private repercussions for contact with Piastri, only for those to be adjusted after Piastri was deemed more responsible in their Austin sprint clash. A collision in Canada also tested the rules.
Piastri, who led the championship early in 2025 before Norris surged ahead, welcomed the evolution. "Streamlining it is a wise decision to make," he said in a press conference. "We probably caused some headaches for ourselves that we didn't need to at points last year... Some tweaks for sure this year, but I think it's pretty clear that we still want to go racing as a team as much as we can."
Despite losing the title fight, Piastri insisted he received a fair shot: "Yes, I think I got a fair shot last year and I'm expecting that to stay exactly the same." He reflected on his performance slump after the Dutch Grand Prix, attributing it to technical and driving challenges in Mexico and Austin, but drew positives from his growth as a contender in his third F1 season.
Time in Australia over the off-season helped him reset: "It was nice to go back to Australia and spend some time with my family... The support I had from being in the fight was honestly nice to hear." Piastri views the 2026 regulation changes as motivation, focusing on applying lessons to the new car.
