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Oscar Piastri Asked Whether He’ll Let Lando Norris Pass Him at Abu Dhabi GP
Few subjects have caused more controversy in Formula One in recent times than McLaren’s ‘papaya rules’. Under the arrangement, the 2025 Constructors’ Championship winners allow their drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, to compete against one another, so long as they keep the competition fair, clean and avoid colliding.
Not everyone agrees with the policy, but it has worked well for McLaren, as both Norris and Piastri are in contention to win the 2025 Drivers’ Championship at Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Pacesetter Norris is favourite to take the crown as he currently leads Max Verstappen by 12 points. Piastri sits a further four points back in third place, although he still has an outside chance of taking the crown.
For Norris, though, the mission is simple. If he finishes in third place, he will lift the trophy regardless of where Verstappen (or Piastri) finish. With that in mind, the McLaren pair were quizzed as to whether there had been any discussion of Piastri helping his teammate to win the title if his own chances had disappeared.
Will Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri Work Together at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?
Sky Sports’ Rachel Brookes posed the question to Norris in the first instance, but it was clear that neither man was comfortable talking about the scenario.
“Is there a scenario where you are in the final laps at the race and you’re running in P4 and Oscar in P3 and Max is leading. Is there a scenario where you would expect or even want him to make it easy for you to pass if he is out of contention? Has that been discussed at all?” wondered Brookes.
“No, that hasn’t been discussed,” admitted Lando.
“Honestly, I would love it. But I don’t think I would ask it because.. I don’t know. I don’t know. It’s up to Oscar if he would allow it. I don’t think it’s necessarily down to me. It’s the same if it was the other way around. Would I be willing or not? Personally, I think I would because I feel like I’m always like that and that’s how I am. It’s not really up to me.”
Norris went on to elaborate on why he was so hesitant to raise the matter with Piastri:
“I don’t want to ask it because I don’t think it’s necessarily a fair question. If that’s how it ends and Max wins, then, that’s it. Congrats to him and we look forward to next year. It doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t change my life. He would deserve it over us.”
Oscar Piastri Refused to Answer Reporter’s Question Ahead of the Race
While Lando tried to remain diplomatic with his reply, he did at least attempt to answer the question. Oscar, meanwhile, wanted no part of the discussion.
When he was asked whether he would be willing to let Norris past him, a sheepish Piastri replied:
“Rachel asked it to Lando. It is not something we have discussed. Until I know what’s kind of expected, I don’t have an answer until I know what is expected of me.”
Although he didn’t rule out ultimately helping his colleague, he couldn’t have looked any more awkward when addressing the possibility. The Australian’s body language is understandable. It would take a dramatic turn of events, but he is still technically in the title race, and so likely didn’t want to get drawn into a hypothetical discussion over another driver winning the championship.
Interestingly, though, he didn’t rule out moving aside for Norris – if McLaren asked him to do so. It remains to be seen whether Norris will need his teammate’s assistance on Sunday as the crucial final race of the season draws to a close.
