McLaren targets 'papaya orders', Max 'not fast enough'

      "Clearly, we will be practical and realistic."

      Championship leader Lando Norris concluded Friday's session in Abu Dhabi as the fastest driver on the track, while McLaren has now executed what the media is describing as a last-minute change, openly abandoning its season-long "Papaya Rules" policy promoting intra-team fairness. Although Norris can secure the title with a third-place finish on Sunday, team CEO Zak Brown stated he will not hesitate to enforce team orders on Oscar Piastri if the situation calls for it.

      "Clearly, we will be practical and realistic," Brown acknowledged. "We are a team that aims to win the Drivers’ Championship, and we will race accordingly, doing whatever is necessary to get that driver to the front to win the race." When questioned about Piastri's compliance with those orders—especially after George Russell jokingly advised him to "turn off the radio"—Brown was firm: "Yes. Our drivers have always followed team requests. I have no doubt that both of our drivers will continue to race brilliantly in the best interest of the team."

      This change in approach comes after a season where McLaren's efforts to appear completely fair backfired, leading to criticism, tension, and a sentiment—acknowledged by Norris—that "it's not what people want—people want chaos." However, Brown insisted on Friday that much of the noise is "nonsense."

      On the other side of the championship battle, Max Verstappen expressed resignation following Friday's practice. "I don’t think we’re quick enough," he stated, a sentiment supported by Red Bull’s own data and a candid Dr. Helmut Marko. "The car clearly has understeer, which is something Max dislikes anyway," he added. Adjustments for FP2 "did not yield the intended results," with long runs confirming similar concerns: "Our tire wear was higher than McLaren’s."

      Regarding the third contender in the title chase, Piastri, Marko had hoped the Australian would be ahead of Norris. "Unfortunately, it’s the case that Norris is the fastest McLaren driver and not Oscar Piastri," remarked the 82-year-old. "We would have preferred to see it the other way around." He further noted, "I don’t see anyone at Ferrari or Mercedes who is fast enough," with a shrug.

      When it comes to relying on McLaren repeating their recent mistakes, Marko continued: "We can't expect a McLaren error three times consecutively. We must compete based on our strengths." Despite the gap, Verstappen’s calm demeanor has impressed team principal Laurent Mekies—"There’s no acting there," he remarked.