After years in the wilderness, McLaren F1 is back at the top step of the podium. The team has developed the MCL38 into a front-runner, overturning Red Bull’s early-season dominance to become the fastest car on the grid. However, the team has struggled to secure regular race wins. Amid self-inflicted setbacks, McLaren may yet surpass Red Bull to take the top spot in the constructors’ standings in the next race.

The constructors’ championship battle is tight, but McLaren’s rise is also due to Red Bull’s sudden loss of performance. Lando Norris has a shot at the drivers’ title but faces an uphill task of reducing a 62-point deficit to Max Verstappen with eight races remaining.

McLaren should have prioritized Norris, but during the Italian Grand Prix, we learned of the so-called “Papaya Rules,” a patronising dictate that regulates McLaren driver’s race hard and fair.

No, FUCK the Papaya Rules.

Oscar Piastri clearly demonstrated that his primary focus is on prioritizing himself. When McLaren ordered Norris to let Piastri win the Hungarian Grand Prix, they assured Norris that Piastri would return the favour.

At the Italian Grand Prix, Piastri compromised McLaren’s race by taking the lead on the first lap, inadvertently allowing Leclerc to take second place and splitting the McLarens from 1-2 to 1-3. Leclerc went on to win the race.

However, part of the blame lies with Norris, who compromised his race with a messy opening lap that allowed Piastri to close up and take the lead. While you can’t fault Piastri for his racing instincts, McLaren should have ordered a switch to allow Norris to move into second place as the race unfolded.

It seems McLaren is not prioritizing Norris, who has a genuine chance to challenge Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ championship. Given that McLaren has not been in this position since Lewis Hamilton won their last drivers’ title, one would expect team orders to have been in place a few races ago.

Norris may appear nonplussed on the surface, but he must be privately fuming at McLaren. He needs to demand priority over Piastri because he has the best chance of winning the driver’s championship.

This isn’t about being a Lando fan; F1 fans just want to see a real championship battle, so FUCK the Papaya Rules.