McLaren were left red-faced after the Canadian Grand Prix as Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris collided for the first time as teammates.
The duo are in a position to win the drivers’ championship in 2025. But after being outperformed by his teammate since joining McLaren in 2023, Piastri now has the advantage over Norris.
| Category | Lando Norris | Oscar Piastri |
| 2025 points | 176 | 198 |
| Grand Prix results | 4 | 6 |
| Grand Prix qualifying | 4 | 6 |
| Grand Prix wins | 2 | 5 |
| Grand Prix poles | 2 | 4 |
| Grand Prix podiums | 9 | 9 |
| Best finish | 1st | 1st |
| Retirements | 1 | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 5 | 2 |
| Grand Prix points finishes | 9 | 10 |
| Sprint results | 1 | 1 |
| Sprint Qualifying | 0 | 2 |
| Sprint wins | 1 | 0 |
| Sprint poles | 0 | 0 |
| Sprint podiums | 1 | 2 |
With five wins and three pole positions from the opening 10 races, the Aussie has found extra performance. Piastri has a similar driving style to Max Verstappen, with his aggression with the car being key to his success in 2025.
The 24-year-old extended his lead in the standings over Norris to 22 points after the Brit retired from the Canadian GP. He attempted to pass Piastri down the main straight on lap 67, but hit his rear left and crashed into the wall.
Piastri was lucky not to retire from the race himself as he came home in fourth. While the McLarens gave fans an exciting battle in the closing stages of the race, their collision sparked further debate about how the team manage their drivers.
People in the F1 paddock are laughing at McLaren’s ‘papaya rules’
CEO Zak Brown made it clear at the start of the season that McLaren will not use team orders in 2025. Norris and Piastri have been given the freedom to fight each other throughout the year, but as Montreal proved, they can push the boundaries too far.
The Woking outfit had to intervene with team orders in 2024, which benefited Norris in his title charge against Verstappen that was ultimately unsuccessful. Coined ‘papaya rules’, they were almost instantly viewed as controversial by fans and the media.
Following their collision in Canada, journalist Joel Lischka says people in the paddock are laughing at ‘papaya rules’ as McLaren continue to use the phrase with Norris and Piastri.
“Andrea Stella wants to let both drivers drive freely. This could give us some more exciting duels,” he said via ams.F1.
“On the other hand, how do you feel about the way you deal with the drivers? We’ve talked about these Papaya rules a lot.
“There’s a lot of laughter about it, even a bit. I’ll show you in the paddock, because this saying has become a household name.”
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Is Oscar Piastri now being favoured at McLaren in 2025?
Norris accepted responsibility for the crash straight away over his radio. The Brit has dented his title chances as he is now almost a race win’s worth of points behind his teammate.
Nico Rosberg thinks Piastri is now the favourite for the title in 2025. Norris will be gutted by the assessment, but he does have a mountain to climb to become world champion this year.
Ralf Schumacher thinks McLaren have ‘internally’ backed Piastri for the championship, even if they have allowed their drivers to race. He says Norris has shown ‘too many weaknesses’ this season, with qualifying being a particular problem for him in 2025.
He may have now become the ‘underdog’ in the title battle, but Jacques Villeneuve thinks this could ‘help’ Norris. Less pressure on his shoulders could be just what he needs to find his feet again.
