Year-ender: How McLaren's 'Papaya Rules' dominated Formula 1 2025 season
What's the story
In the world of Formula 1, the term 'Papaya Rules' refers to a specific code of conduct for McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. The name comes from the papaya fruit's color, which is similar to McLaren's signature orange. The rules are communicated through radio messages during races when the two drivers are competing against each other. McLaren's 'Papaya Rules' helped the team dominate the Formula 1 2025 season. We decode the same.
Fair competition
Papaya rules promote fair racing
As per BBC Sport, the 'Papaya Rules' essentially emphasize that while the drivers are free to race, they must do so fairly and without colliding. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella revealed during the 2025 season that both Piastri and Norris played a role in formulating this code. The guidelines ensure equality between the two drivers as McLaren does not have a designated 'number one' driver.
Team perspective
McLaren's stance on papaya rules
Some pundits suggested that McLaren should relax these rules and let their drivers compete more aggressively for the title. Despite the criticism, McLaren remained firm on its 'Papaya Rules.' Team boss Zak Brown explained the code after the 2024 Italian Grand Prix as "race him hard, race him clean, [but] don't touch." Stella reiterated this for the 2025 championship battle with just 22 points separating Piastri and Norris at one point during the title chase. He stressed that "the championship runs within the principles," emphasizing McLaren's commitment to racing values.
Title battle
McLaren's championship dominance
The 'Papaya Rules' also led to some tension between the two drivers when they competed for the drivers' championship. Despite this, McLaren dominated the Constructors' championship, winning it at the Singapore Grand Prix with six races to spare. McLaren ended up sealing the Constructors title after finishing with 833 points in the 2025 season. Mercedes finished 2nd with 469 points under their belt. Red Bull were third, largely due to Verstappen's impact.
Drivers
McLaren's Norris wins the F1 2025 season championship honor
Norris finished the F1 2025 season with a tally of 423 points from 24 races. This was two more than Verstappen, who ended with 421 points. The season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix dictated the winner. Despite Verstappen's race win, it was Norris who won the season title. Meanwhile, Piastri, who was also in the mix for the tile, claimed over 400 points in the 2025 season (410). Piastri finished 2nd in Abu Dhabi ahead of Norris.
Do you know?
33 podium finishes between Norris and Piastri in F1 2025
From 24 races in the F1 2025 season, Norris ended up taking 17 podium finishes. He finished above Norris (16) and Verstappen (15) in terms of podiums this year. Norris also won 7 races this season. It was the joint 2nd-highest race wins alongside teammate Piastri. Verstappen claimed 8 wins.
Words
Piastri backed McLaren's 'Papaya Rules'
After the Abu Dhabi race, Piastri said that McLaren did the right thing by not prioritizing one driver over the other. He also revealed that this is likely to remain the same when F1 introduces new regulations in 2026. "It is a testament to the way we go racing," he said to reporters. "Obviously it's not easy fighting for two, the constructors' championship and the drivers' championship, with two very evenly matched drivers, but ultimately that's a problem that we knew we were going to have."
Words (2)
'I think ultimately it's been a good thing'
"At the end of the day I think there's a lot of good things that come from that. Yes, there's difficult moments and tension at times, but I think both Lando and I have become better drivers from pushing each other to the limit," he said. "Sometimes that's been uncomfortable for everyone, but I think ultimately it's been a good thing."