McLaren will continue to implement \u2018papaya rules\u2019 through F1 2026 while allowing Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to race one another.<\/p>\n
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has reaffirmed his team\u2019s commitment to the internal rules of engagement established last year despite allegations of bias and favouritism.<\/p>\n
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri remain free to race in F1 2026<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> for news you can trust.<\/p>\n McLaren\u2019s \u2018papaya\u2019 rules are essentially an internal set of guidelines for how its drivers race each other.<\/p>\n At their heart, they outline that the team\u2019s interests trump the individual drivers, with Zak Brown insisting that position remains unchanged.<\/p>\n The fundamental rules themselves are also set to remain in place, the American revealed, despite allegations of bias in favour of Norris last season.<\/p>\n \u201cWe actually talked to the drivers, kind of race by race,\u201d Brown told PlanetF1.com and other media.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile we do a season review and a season preview, it\u2019s kind of like a racing car: we\u2019re always developing how we go racing on a race by race basis.<\/p>\n \u201cThey continue to be free to race again. We will be strategic and intelligent when situations arise, and there won\u2019t be much change because they were free to race last year.\u201d<\/p>\n Team orders became a hot topic in the latter stages of last season amid suggestions the team was deliberately disadvantaging Piastri to aid Norris\u2019 title quest.<\/p>\n Norris won last year\u2019s world championship by three points over Max Verstappen, having trailed Piastri by more than 30 points after the Dutch Grand Prix.<\/p>\n That turnaround began at the Italian Grand Prix, where a slow stop cost Norris track position, only for McLaren to invert its two cars on track.<\/p>\n There were other examples too, such as the management of a clash in Singapore and a poor pit stop call in Qatar that arguably cost Piastri victory.<\/p>\n Asked about the perceived bias \u2013 which made its way into Australian politics as the F1 2025 title battle built to a crescendo \u2013 Brown rejected such suggestions as \u201cuninformed\u201d.<\/p>\n More on McLaren from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Oscar Piastri tempers McLaren hopes for 2026 Australian GP<\/a> \u201cIt can be frustrating when some people \u2013 and again, this isn\u2019t country specific \u2013 are very uninformed and the statements you see are just ridiculous,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just need to keep our head down, stay focused, and the people that matter most to us know that we bring total sporting fairness to our racing team, our papaya fans and our sponsors, family and friends.\u201d<\/p>\n McLaren has repeatedly insisted that its position is aimed at maximising the result on any given weekend, with the drivers\u2019 championship of secondary importance after the constructors\u2019 title \u2013 for which it needs both cars scoring well.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n
Lando Norris says \u2018areas we need to improve\u2019 to match favoured Red Bull power unit<\/a><\/p>\n