McLaren's 'Papaya rule', which has been the subject of much debate in recent weeks, is set to be adjusted.
At least that's the case for this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The Woking-based team is balancing two title races, chasing Red Bull in the F1 Constructors' Championship while Lando Norris is poised to edge out Max Verstappen in the Drivers' Championship, and there has been heated debate over how the team will juggle those two goals.
The first flashpoint came at the Hungarian Grand Prix, when the team pitted Norris before Piastri, causing him to undercut his teammate and then allow Oscar Piastri to retake the lead in the closing stages of the race.
The latest controversy came after the Italian Grand Prix, when the team had monopolized the front row in qualifying, with Norris first and Piastri second, but by the end of the first lap Piastri had dropped to first and Norris third. Piastri made a bold and clean pass on Norris at Turn 4, putting the Australian driver into the lead and Norris dropping back to third.
Ferrari ultimately took the victory with Charles Leclerc using up all 38 laps on the hard tyres, holding off the two McLarens in a strong second stint, but McLaren's second- to third-place finish raised further questions – not just about the initial overtake, but also why the team didn't swap Norris for Piastri in second place late in the race when it was clear Leclerc would win.
Exclusive Interview BBC Sports Ahead of this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said the 'Papaya rules' – which allow the two drivers to race hard, but cleanly and fairly – would still apply, but that there would be a change in philosophy, at least for this weekend.
“The overall concept is, we are very determined to win, but we want to win the right way.” Stella began. Andrew Benson BBC Sports.
“we [will] “We are biased in our support for Lando, but we want to do so without compromising too much on our principles,” Stella continued. “Our principles are that the interests of the team always come first. Sportsmanship is important to us in all aspects of racing, and we want to be fair to both drivers.”
Currently, Norris is 62 points behind Verstappen in the drivers' championship, a gap that may be too big to overcome with eight race weekends remaining, but considering that there are three F1 sprint races in that eight-race weekend, Norris has a good chance of closing the gap.
The team is also close to Red Bull 8 points In the Constructors' Championship.
Stella also explained that what happened on the opening lap at Monza has also had an impact on the teams in the constructors' championship, and that the rules of the fight may be different, at least for this weekend.
“We don't want to see a situation like Monza again, where you go into the chicane P1/P2 and then exit P1/P3, because that's not to the team's advantage,” Stella continued. “The best interest of the team comes first, and this situation needs to be improved above all else, because the fact is that the way we went into the race at Monza left the door open to this situation after all.”
The McLaren boss outlined three new pillars of the team's approach.
“After Monza, we have three objectives: whatever happens on the track must not be to the detriment of the team.”
“The second goal is for both drivers to work together to win both championships.”
“But what we don't want is to win in a reckless way.
“These are the three themes that will determine how the race in Baku goes forward. There will be an update after Baku,” Stella concluded.
The McLaren team boss also noted that following a series of meetings in recent weeks, both drivers were in agreement with the plan to a certain extent, even if it meant taking steps to “prejudice” Norris in his title fight against Verstappen.
“The conversations have been very supportive,” Stella said.
“When I asked Oscar, 'Would you give up the victory?' he replied, 'It would be hard, but if it's the right thing to do now, then I would.'”
“All our drivers are born to win, so I'm continually impressed with the level of team spirit, maturity and cooperation we've found during this period.”
Meanwhile, Stella said Norris is open to some help from the team but is taking the approach that less is more.
“Lando wants to win because he deserved it on the track,” Stella said.
“It's fine to have support from your team-mate every now and then, but it's not good to systematically tailor your races just to get points when your team-mate is scoring well-deserved points. This is not how McLaren wants to win, and it's not how Lando wants to win,” Stella continued. “If you ask Lando, he'll say, 'Abu Dhabi is OK.' [at the end of the season] “We missed out on some points because of some moves we could have made, but what would have happened if we had made the wrong moves? We remain strong as a team, stable and united. We'll try again next year.”
But discussions about the drivers' championship are only one part of the puzzle, with Stella saying the constructors' championship was the main goal.
“While we focus the conversation and attention on the drivers, we need to be careful not to lose sight of the fact that the constructors are at least a three-way battle,” Stella said, referring to Ferrari rejoining the fray after Leclerc's win at Monza.
