Don't fall for it...
Believe your eyes. McLaren are fumbling in the dark.
McLaren wants you to believe their team culture revolves around fair treatment of their drivers. They want you to justify their weakness to establish team orders in pursuit of a double world championship by saying it’s because they won’t play favorites.
They don’t want you to believe your eyes. They want you to see any loss as a “virtuous” loss instead of the needless fumbling of a brilliant opportunity.
In its current state, McLaren is weak. Two great young drivers made the perfect recipe when they were scrapping in the midfield. It’s a disaster in a World Drivers’ Championship.
Keeping two drivers of their quality happy while attempting to chase down Max Verstappen (or compete in any tightly contested championship battle in the future) is a fool’s errand. McLaren is showing how weak they are, whether it’s pleading with Lando Norris to give a position back in Hungary or failing to establish and enforce meaningful rules of engagement in Italy.
They have the best car on the grid and if they win the World Constructors’ Championship, it will be despite their 10-ply soft approach to their drivers. I don’t think it’s likely that they will win the WDC at all - at least not without implementing major changes.
These “Papaya Rules” must not govern much. I assume it’s something along the lines of “please, don’t crash into each other, please.”
In reality it should be clear and definitive.
The driver who qualifies highest is not to be overtaken, barring an extreme circumstance.
The driver ahead will be given the benefit of strategic protection by the driver behind.
Any position lost as a result of strategic protection by the trailing driver will be returned.
McLaren should adopt these rules and go a step further and tailor them to benefit Norris. Oscar Piastri will be incensed, or whatever version of “incensed” someone with Piastri’s personality can summon. If he stays with the team and another championship battle erupts in 2025, he may well be the beneficiary of the rules above. If he leaves McLaren, they can set about finding a second driver who matches where they currently sit in their trajectory.
They need a rear gunner and ideally one who will make them slightly less fearful of being a team committed to winning anything and everything.