Max Verstappen tears apart McLaren’s ‘papaya rules’ after F1 title win
The four-time world champion labelled the McLaren call as ‘nonsense’ in a post-season interview
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Max Verstappen has decreed McLaren’s use of their “papaya rules” instruction for team orders during the 2024 F1 season as “nonsense” in a recent post-season interview.
The four-time world champion was involved in a title tussle with McLaren’s Lando Norris for most of the season, before sealing his fourth successive title in Las Vegas.
McLaren, meanwhile, were criticised by the likes of Nico Rosberg for their “papaya rules” instruction, which told Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri to take “extra care” when racing against each other.
And Red Bull’s Verstappen, who in the end finished 63 points above runner-up Norris, also dismissed the unique team order.
“This is another nonsense quote,” Verstappen told Dutch broadcaster Viaplay, when asked about the phrase.
“Papaya rules? That’s totally useless to me.
“If I heard that from my engineer, I’d tell him to just shut up immediately. What kind of nonsense is this?
“’You’re allowed to race’ is fine, you know, they could have solved this in a way easier and better way as a team.”
Verstappen will be eyeing a fifth straight championship when the 2025 season gets underway on 16 March in Australia.
However, the Dutchman is still awaiting confirmation of his teammate for 2025, amid speculation that Sergio Perez is set to lose his seat to Liam Lawson.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments