Max Verstappen’s cheeky reply on why McLaren’s ‘papaya rules’ wouldn’t affect him

Max Verstappen has delivered a cheeky response to McLaren’s ‘papaya rules’, insisting they wouldn’t affect him because his teammate wouldn’t be close enough in the championship standings.

McLaren’s racing rules have been put in the spotlight following Lando Norris’ clash with Oscar Piastri on the opening lap of the Singapore Grand Prix.

Norris and Piastri made light contact at Turn 3 in Singapore, forcing Piastri slightly wide.

McLaren have since conducted an internal review, with Norris revealing he will face “repercussions” for the remainder of the season.

The team have tried to maintain fairness between their two title contenders throughout the year. 

At the Italian Grand Prix, Piastri was ordered to let Norris through after a slow pit stop for the latter. 

The slow stop was out of Norris’ control, so McLaren felt inclined to intervene.

Piastri’s radio comments in Singapore inferred that he wanted McLaren to potentially swap positions, as he felt Norris’ move was unfair.

Speaking on Thursday at the Circuit of the Americas, Verstappen argued that he wouldn’t be in a position to be affected by McLaren’s ‘papaya rules’.

“No, but then we probably wouldn’t be that close in points anyway,” Verstappen told reporters in Austin.

“Then, automatically, it wouldn’t be an issue. You just have to try and make sure you don’t end up in a situation like that.”

F1 title races “never 100 per cent fair”

Verstappen also believes McLaren are to blame for trying too hard to make things “equal”.

The four-time world champion thinks that slow pit stops or reliability issues are just part of racing and should be accepted.

“If you leave the door slightly open like Oscar did in Singapore, then you might end up in a situation like that,” Verstappen added.

“But on the other hand, they kind of created this themselves by trying so hard to make everything equal with certain actions.

“You know, a championship is never 100 per cent fair when it comes to certain moments. Sometimes you get a bad pit stop, sometimes an engine breaks.

“You can’t really balance that out, I think. They see it differently at McLaren, but this is my opinion. It’s very difficult – and that’s what sometimes leads to frustration.”