McLaren confirm Austria Grand Prix plan that Verstappen has described as 'nonsense'

McLaren F1 star Oscar Piastri has confirmed the team's approach will remain in place at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix.

'Papaya rules' are followed by both Piastri and team-mate Lando Norris, allowing both drivers the freedom to race each other whilst making every effort to avoid contact.

F1 HEADLINES: Hamilton heading for Austrian GP shock as star claims team FAILING to protect him

That strategy was called into question following the Canadian GP last time out, where Norris ran into the back of his colleague in the closing stages as the pair battled it out for fourth spot.

The move resulted in the Brit crashing out of the race, and in doing so, lose ground to his title rivals, while the team were left frustrated after seeing valuable constructors' points needlessly thrown away.

But when asked during Thursday's press conference ahead of this weekend's race in Spielberg if the team were going to change their approach, Piastri replied: “No, same as always.

“Obviously what happened in Canada wasn’t ideal but we’re still free to race, still fighting for a championship each so no, we keep going racing and make sure that obviously we don’t come into contact again.

“We’ve been doing things in terms of strategy to just try and get the best result for each car.”

Piastri aims to extend championship advantage

It's not the first time the use of 'papaya rules' have been questioned, with the team failing to give Norris preferential treatment at last season's Italian GP, despite the 25-year-old trying to chase down championship leader Max Verstappen.

Verstappen has even been critical of the concept, describing them as 'nonsense' after being asked to give his assessment following a similar McLaren call in 2024: "This is another nonsense quote," Verstappen said in an interview with Viaplay.

"'Papaya rules', that's totally useless to me. If I heard that from an engineer I'd tell him to just shut up immediately.

"Yeah, exactly, what kind of nonsense is this? 'You're allowed to race' is fine. You know they should've solved this in a way easier and better way as a team."

Some pundits have suggested Piastri will be prioritised by the team over the coming weeks, with one reporter on Thursday stating that his 'healthy' 22-point advantage in the standings should give him the edge.

But the Australian clearly doesn't share the same perspective, implying that he would love to have more breathing room, as he joked: "Your version of healthy is much bigger than mine!”

READ MORE: Mercedes edge towards Max Verstappen decision after George Russell verdict

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