Former Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner has advised McLaren
to "change" its 'papaya rules' and prioritise one driver in the
title fight due to the growing threat of Max Verstappen. Last
season, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella imposed 'papaya rules'
to ensure the squad achieved the best result possible in every
grand prix, imposing clear instructions to both Lando Norris and
Oscar Piastri. McLaren travel to this weekend's Singapore Grand
Prix after a disastrous performance in Baku, which saw Piastri
crash twice and Norris finish in seventh. It meant the Woking-based
outfit failed to seal the constructors' title, something it can do
at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. However, while McLaren
struggled, Red Bull made significant strides, with Verstappen
clinching victory from pole position in Baku. It represented
back-to-back wins for the Dutchman, who is now 69 points adrift of
Piastri with seven rounds remaining. Red Bull has made
considerable progress since introducing a new floor to the RB21 in
Monza, where Verstappen again triumphed from pole position. For
many, the Singapore GP is being viewed as the deciding factor over
whether Verstappen is in the fight for a fifth consecutive drivers'
championship, as it has been a bogey venue for Red Bull in recent
seasons. Norris dominated in Singapore last year due to the track
being littered with medium-speed corners. This has typically been a
weakness for Red Bull, meaning a strong performance would signify
that Verstappen can compete for victory in all the remaining races.
Steiner remains unsure if Verstappen is genuinely in the title
fight, although he is certain McLaren must now change its 'rules'
system and prioritise one driver. "I would be more willing to say
he has got a chance, not saying that he's going to win it, but he
has got a chance at the moment," said Steiner on the Red Flags
podcast. "Because even if Max wins, the other two, under normal
circumstances, have the second fastest car. I don't think Ferrari
can get there. "The Mercedes, it's just like in some races, they
are very good, but there are very few of them, and maybe there is
one. So I think even if Max has got the best car, he will not win
them all anyway, in my opinion. "But it could open up, and it gets
competitive, and that McLaren has to change the papaya rules and
support one driver [to win the title]. They maybe should have done
that a little bit earlier. "But obviously they want to be fair,
even wanting to lose a world championship by being fair, I wouldn't
do that."
to "change" its 'papaya rules' and prioritise one driver in the
title fight due to the growing threat of Max Verstappen. Last
season, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella imposed 'papaya rules'
to ensure the squad achieved the best result possible in every
grand prix, imposing clear instructions to both Lando Norris and
Oscar Piastri. McLaren travel to this weekend's Singapore Grand
Prix after a disastrous performance in Baku, which saw Piastri
crash twice and Norris finish in seventh. It meant the Woking-based
outfit failed to seal the constructors' title, something it can do
at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. However, while McLaren
struggled, Red Bull made significant strides, with Verstappen
clinching victory from pole position in Baku. It represented
back-to-back wins for the Dutchman, who is now 69 points adrift of
Piastri with seven rounds remaining. Red Bull has made
considerable progress since introducing a new floor to the RB21 in
Monza, where Verstappen again triumphed from pole position. For
many, the Singapore GP is being viewed as the deciding factor over
whether Verstappen is in the fight for a fifth consecutive drivers'
championship, as it has been a bogey venue for Red Bull in recent
seasons. Norris dominated in Singapore last year due to the track
being littered with medium-speed corners. This has typically been a
weakness for Red Bull, meaning a strong performance would signify
that Verstappen can compete for victory in all the remaining races.
Steiner remains unsure if Verstappen is genuinely in the title
fight, although he is certain McLaren must now change its 'rules'
system and prioritise one driver. "I would be more willing to say
he has got a chance, not saying that he's going to win it, but he
has got a chance at the moment," said Steiner on the Red Flags
podcast. "Because even if Max wins, the other two, under normal
circumstances, have the second fastest car. I don't think Ferrari
can get there. "The Mercedes, it's just like in some races, they
are very good, but there are very few of them, and maybe there is
one. So I think even if Max has got the best car, he will not win
them all anyway, in my opinion. "But it could open up, and it gets
competitive, and that McLaren has to change the papaya rules and
support one driver [to win the title]. They maybe should have done
that a little bit earlier. "But obviously they want to be fair,
even wanting to lose a world championship by being fair, I wouldn't
do that."
The post McLaren handed clear papaya rules advice as Max Verstappen threat intensifies appeared first on RacingNews365.