McLaren F1 News: Red Bull chief POKES FUN at 'papaya rules'

Christian Horner and Helmut Marko — Photo: © IMAGO

Italian Grand Pirx

Red Bull chief POKES FUN at McLaren's 'papaya rules'

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were told to abide by 'papaya rules' at Monza

Originally written by Harry Whitfield. This version is a translation.

Wednesday 4 September 2024 05:00

Red Bull chief Helmut Marko has poked fun at McLaren following the revelation of 'papaya rules' at the Italian Grand Prix.

Oscar Piastri took the lead on the opening lap of the race at Monza with an aggressive move on pole-sitter Lando Norris, who was forced to break early and almost spun when avoiding contact with his team-mate.

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With the Australian driver now in front of him, Norris was reminded of McLaren's 'papaya rules' - seemingly a set of rules for the two team-mates racing each other.

The F1 commentary team raised eyebrows about what the rules could entail and now, Marko has mocked the team regarding them.

Lando Norris was ordered to hand the lead back to Oscar Piastri at the Hungarian GP

Charles Leclerc last won the Italian Grand Prix back in 2019

Marko taunts McLaren over team orders

This meant that with McLaren securing P2 and P3, the papaya team cut into Red Bull's championship lead further.

However, speaking to the media after the race about the team's result, Marko insisted he was not disappointed and took a jab at his rivals in the process: "A disappointing result? Absolutely not. We kind of saw this coming,"

Red Bull finished P6 and P8 in the Italian GP

"I want to congratulate Ferrari on the win and thank McLaren for their sportsmanship.

"I appreciate that and it makes our situation a little bit better."

The 81-year-old also explained how McLaren’s ‘papaya rules’ are helping Red Bull to not lose too much ground in the drivers' championship, with Norris trying to close the big gap to Verstappen.

"In other words, our default wasn't that conspicuous. It could have been worse, but the gap [to McLaren] is about the same as in Zandvoort," Marko added.

"From our point of view, we welcome this sporting approach."

Max Verstappen McLaren Lando Norris Sergio Perez Oscar Piastri Helmut Marko