Glock laughs at the mystery surrounding McLaren's 'consequences.'

      "Everyone would be eager to know the specifics."

      McLaren's promises of transparency faced renewed examination in Austin as CEO Zak Brown refrained from elaborating on the "repercussions" for Lando Norris after his incident with teammate Oscar Piastri in Singapore. Two weeks after Norris acknowledged that there were internal "consequences" for the clash, Brown dodged numerous inquiries about those implications, despite the team's frequent claims of openness. Speculation suggests that the so-called "Papaya Rules" regarding team orders have been subtly modified, but Brown's statements during Friday's FIA press conference and later to Sky Italia only heightened the confusion. "Everyone would be eager to know the specifics of our discussion, but some matters are private," the American stated to Sky Italia. "We were transparent – we deemed Lando responsible for the incident," Brown mentioned. "I would be surprised if the consequences were evident on the track, as they are relatively minor and in line with what occurred. We want to avoid contact between our cars. I think only very experienced observers would notice anything. It was merely a minor incident. The penalty falls within the sporting framework."

      On Sky Deutschland, former F1 driver Timo Glock responded with humor: "Lando's allowance was reduced. He's been grounded," he joked. "In my view, it’s simple – either clearly state what's happening or say nothing at all. They should declare, 'We have our Papaya Rules, whatever they are, and we keep them private.' But this half-hearted approach of ‘yes, there are consequences, but we won't disclose them’ is complete nonsense. Either I stay silent on the matter, or I don’t expose myself."

      Glock believes McLaren's contradictory messages could benefit Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who is set to start Saturday’s sprint from pole position ahead of both McLaren cars. "Max finds humor in situations like this," Glock commented. "He takes it all lightly, thinking, ‘Let them argue; I’ll be here if they crash into each other again.’ I have no clue what the purpose of this drama is for the outside world."

      Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone shared a similar sentiment in a conversation with Bild. "Max will be the world champion once more," he remarked. "All indications from McLaren suggest they want Norris to win the title. Consequently, he, in second place, and Piastri, the championship leader, will be taking points away from each other, benefitting Max.”

      Red Bull’s Dr. Helmut Marko expressed regret that his team’s resurgence might have come too late. "We’ve been consistently competitive for a few races now," he told Sky Deutschland. "Our return to form appears to be a bit late, and I think we need McLaren’s assistance. There have been various interpretations of the Papaya Rules," added the 82-year-old Austrian, "and they have had their share of clashes this year. Piastri has been let off lightly each time. Perhaps the situation will change down the line." Regarding Verstappen’s pole position in the latest sprint, Marko remarked, "The crucial factor was that we found a risky yet very effective setup." Norris, however, took a more cautious stance: "It’s no surprise that we’ve been a bit slower than Red Bull recently, so we’re still relatively content."