Guenther Steiner jokes about McLaren team orders for Norris.

2 days ago7 min read

The ever-animated Guenther Steiner, the former Haas team principal whose unfiltered charisma has made him a Formula 1 media darling, was at it again with his characteristic wit, this time turning his sharp tongue towards the strategic conundrum facing McLaren. For much of the season, Steiner had been a vocal advocate for the team to throw its weight behind the prodigiously talented Oscar Piastri, especially during those fleeting moments when the young Australian seemed to be carrying the team's championship momentum.His calls echoed through the paddock, a persistent drumbeat questioning McLaren's long-term calculus. However, the narrative took a sharp turn at the Mexican Grand Prix, where Lando Norris, with a masterful drive, decisively leapfrogged his teammate in the drivers' standings, reigniting the perennial debate about team orders and number-one driver status.When pressed on whether the Woking-based squad should now pivot and consolidate its efforts around the British star, Steiner responded with his trademark sardonic humor, quipping, 'I think I need to go now. No, no, no.I think let’s have the ‘papaya rules’, they are very good. And Max [Verstappen] will never catch us anyway, because the championship means nothing to anyone at McLaren.It’s all good – as long as the ‘papaya rules’ are there, everything is fine. ' This seemingly off-the-cuff remark, dripping with irony, cuts to the very heart of a high-stakes drama unfolding within one of F1's most historic teams.The term 'papaya rules'—a playful yet pointed reference to McLaren's distinctive orange livery—is Steiner's code for a perceived policy of strict driver equality, a philosophy he subtly suggests could be a strategic luxury the team can no longer afford in the cutthroat environment of modern Formula 1. To understand the full weight of this exchange, one must look at the broader context of McLaren's revival.After years in the wilderness, the team has engineered a remarkable comeback, re-establishing itself as a consistent podium threat and the primary challenger to the dominant Red Bull machinery. This success, however, brings its own set of complex problems.In Lando Norris, they have a driver of proven race-winning caliber, a fan favorite whose raw speed and racecraft have been honed over several seasons with the team. His partnership with the team feels symbiotic, a long-term project finally bearing fruit.On the other side of the garage sits Oscar Piastri, the rookie sensation who has taken the grid by storm. His preternatural calm, technical precision, and immediate pace have drawn comparisons to a young Alain Prost, suggesting a future world champion in the making.This creates a 'good problem to have'—a duo often compared to the legendary Prost-Senna pairing at McLaren, where intra-team rivalry propelled the team to unprecedented heights but also sowed the seeds of immense internal tension. The central question Steiner’s joke implicitly raises is whether modern F1, with its constructor-focused championship and complex development cycles, can sustain such a pure form of competition between teammates when ultimate glory is on the line.Historically, teams like Mercedes during its hegemony, and Ferrari in its dominant Schumacher era, have almost always eventually coalesced around a clear number-one driver to maximize championship points. The risk of your two titans taking points off each other, as seen in the fierce Hamilton-Rosberg rivalry, is a calculated one.For McLaren, the dilemma is acute. Prioritizing Norris now, based on his current standing and experience, could be seen as a logical reward for loyalty and current performance.Yet, doing so might stifle the explosive potential of Piastri, potentially alienating a driver who represents the team's next decade. Conversely, maintaining strict equality risks a scenario where their drivers battle so intensely that they compromise the team's overall Constructors' Championship position, or worse, allow a competitor like Ferrari to sneak through.Steiner’s jest about the championship 'meaning nothing' is a masterclass in paddock psychology—it highlights the absurdity of not having a clear objective when you possess a car capable of winning. His commentary forces us to consider the immense pressure on Team Principal Andrea Stella, who must navigate this sporting minefield while managing two colossal egos and ambitions.The decision, or lack thereof, will define McLaren's season and could have lasting repercussions on driver contracts, team morale, and their ability to finally mount a sustained title challenge against the Verstappen-Red Bull juggernaut. In the high-octane, data-driven world of F1, Steiner reminds us that the most complex equations often involve human emotion, ambition, and the age-old tension between individual brilliance and collective triumph.

#Formula 1

#McLaren

#Lando Norris

#Oscar Piastri

#team orders

#Guenther Steiner

#featured

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