Would Oscar Piastri really let Lando Norris through? McLaren faces a high-stakes question in Abu Dhabi

December 5, 2025 Oliver Obel

The Formula One season arrives at its finale with McLaren facing a question that could define its year and possibly its future:

If Lando Norris needs help to secure his first world championship, would Oscar Piastri really move aside?

It’s a scenario the team has dodged all season and one the drivers are visibly uncomfortable confronting. But with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix set to decide the 2025 title, the question can no longer be avoided.

A philosophy meets its toughest test

McLaren’s “papaya rules” the team’s philosophy of letting Norris and Piastri race freely as long as they avoid contact have been both praised and questioned across the paddock.

According to The Independent, the rules were introduced to keep racing “clean and fair” between the two drivers after a series of tense intra-team moments earlier in their partnership.

The approach has largely worked. Both drivers enter the final round still mathematically alive in the championship. Motorsport.com detailed the stakes earlier this week: Norris holds a 12-point lead over Max Verstappen, with Piastri another four behind. Norris needs only a third-place finish to clinch the title outright.

But the math also creates the uncomfortable possibility McLaren can’t ignore that the drivers could find themselves nose-to-tail with a championship hanging in the balance.

A press-room question no one wanted

During a pre-race media session in the paddock, Sky Sports presenter Rachel Brookes asked the question lingering over the title decider. She painted a scenario: Piastri running third, Norris behind in fourth, Verstappen leading. Would Piastri be expected to let his teammate past if his own title hopes were over?

Norris shifted slightly in his chair before answering a small gesture noted by Fox Sports Australia, which described both drivers as “visibly uneasy” when the subject was raised.

“No, that hasn’t been discussed,” Norris said. He admitted that the scenario would obviously help him, and that he would probably reciprocate if roles were reversed, but said he didn’t feel comfortable making that request. Later, he added that if he lost the title that way, “that’s it… congrats to him and we look forward to next year.”

It wasn’t the response of a man expecting an easy favor.

Piastri’s carefully controlled answer

When the same scenario was put to Piastri, the tension in the briefing room sharpened.

Still mathematically in contention Motorsport.com’s title scenario breakdown emphasizes that a chaotic race could still put him in reach Piastri refused to concede anything publicly.

“Rachel asked it to Lando,” he said, sidestepping the issue before repeating that the team had not discussed any form of team orders. He added that he couldn’t give an answer “until I know what is expected of me.”

His body language, noted by several reporters on site, told its own story: arms crossed, shoulders tight, eyes avoiding the cameras. He didn’t say he wouldn’t help Norris but he certainly didn’t say he would.

Would McLaren intervene?

Team principal Andrea Stella has repeatedly emphasized that McLaren “never wanted to rely on team orders,” something he reiterated earlier this season. Speedcafe reported that Stella even downplayed the existence of “papaya rules” entirely, suggesting McLaren’s real priority is avoiding collisions rather than orchestrating results.

But championships are not philosophical debates. They hinge on tough, often unpopular choices.

As Coffee Corner Motorsport highlighted in its Abu Dhabi preview, Yas Marina has a “history of forcing strategic calls teams never planned to make.”

If the title comes down to three cars in a four-second window, McLaren may have to abandon its purist approach.

And Piastri still early in his career, fiercely competitive, yet committed to the team’s long-term trajectory may find himself facing a decision that alters more than just one race.

Whatever happens, the “papaya rules” have never been tested under pressure like this.

Sources: Sky Sports, Motorsport.com, Fox Sports Australia, The Independent, Speedcafe, Coffee Corner Motorsport