Piastri signals McLaren could change controversial rules

Oscar Piastri has hinted that the McLaren team could make changes to the “Papaya rules” after the winter review.

While Piastri was challenging eventual champion Lando Norris for the title in 2025, he believed he was unfairly influenced by several incidents during the heat of the race.

In Italy, after Norris had a slow wheel change, he was ordered to move the Briton back to second before being allowed to continue the race. Piastri said on the radio that he considered the slow pit stop “part of the race” but complied with the request anyway.

Popeye Rules first came to public attention in 2024. These are actually instructions not to bump into each other and avoid contact.

However, in Singapore, Piastri was also unhappy as Norris pushed him into the second lap of the first lap, where he attacked for third place and no orders were given to allow his opponent to pass.

A dip in form at the end of the season saw Piastri lose the title in favor of Norris, who dropped to third behind Max Verstappen. The driver had this to say about team orders ahead of the new season:

“This is discussed a lot. Behind the scenes, there is less talk and fewer problems than one might think.”

“But we have our own racing methods and they are constantly evolving. We will do a review, we have already done that. Do we want to do everything the same? Do we want to change the rules a little? “We will fully address this issue before we start racing again.”

“For me, the intentions were always right, and we’ll make some adjustments if we feel the need to make things easier for ourselves.”