Team orders in Formula 1 have always been a strategic, tactical move used by teams to maximise their performance during a race weekend. What happened during the 2025 Monza GP, however, challenges the notion of why team orders exist — and marks a dangerous precedent for the sport.
Oscar Piastri entered the Monza race weekend with a 34-point advantage over teammate Lando Norris, having suffered a DNF in the previous race. Qualifying in third, the Australian traded blows with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc before settling into third place through the majority of the race.
During the final round of pit stops, Piastri boxed first before his championship rival came next and lost time to a wheel-gun delay — effectively handing the advantage to Piastri as he rejoined behind his teammate. Come Lap 46, McLaren made the call to swap positions, stating:
“Oscar, this is a bit like Hungary last year. We pitted in this order for team reasons. Please let Lando pass, then you are free to race.” – Thomas Alexander Stallard, Oscar Piastri’s Race Engineer
Oscar’s reply? “I mean, we said that a slow pit stop was part of racing. I don’t really get what changed here. But if you really want me to do it, then I’ll do it.” Though the swap was neat, Norris ultimately had enough pace in his hand over Piastri to secure P2 and reduce his teammate’s championship advantage from 34 points to 31.
How Are The Papaya Rules Different From Traditional Team Orders in F1?
Team orders have always been used to optimise a team’s overall performance in their fight for the constructors’ championship, since this determines the amount of money they get at the end of a season. In some cases, team orders can also help teams secure the driver’s championship.
One common principle about team orders is that teams generally prefer not to intervene unless there is a clear benefit of doing so. Beyond this, if a driver has a clear advantage in the championship during later parts of a season, teams generally will favour that driver.
Papaya Rules differ in that they represent an active decision by the team to intervene in the battle between teammates, ensuring both drivers receive equal treatment, rather than a move that benefits either the team or driver in a championship fight.
As explained by Team Principal Zak Brown, the rules allow for both McLaren drivers to race each other aggressively and cleanly so long as they “don’t touch“. Beyond this, Brown maintains his stance that McLaren does not practice a ‘Number 1 driver’ philosophy.
“They are both young drivers who want to win, we have always believed in having two number ones, that’s always been McLaren’s way. It can be difficult to manage – we’ve seen it with Senna and Prost.” – Zack Brown, McLaren CEO
To put things into perspective, let’s take a look at some iconic team orders in history to see how they compare to the Papaya Rules.
How Team Orders Influenced Battles Between Teammates In Recent F1 History
2002, Austrian GP (Ferrari) – Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello
Having won the first 4 out of 5 races of the 2002 season, Michael Schumacher and Ferrari were comfortably leading both the driver’s and constructor’s championship before starting the 2002 Austrian GP. His teammate Rubens Barrichello, nowhere in title contention, managed to qualify on pole, while Schumacher started third.
Still, Barrichello went on to lead every lap of the race and held off Schumacher’s charge for the win. Yet, on the final straight — just meters from the finish line — Ferrari ordered the Brazilian race driver to let Schumacher pass, handing the four-time world champion a win in what many fans felt to be blatantly unnecessary.
The chaos didn’t stop when the chequered flag fell. Fans booed during the podium ceremony, and Schumacher awkwardly pushed Barrichello onto the top, insisting that he claimed the winner’s trophy. This move led the World Motor Sport Council to fine Ferrari US$1 million for breaching the proper podium procedure.
2010, German GP (Ferrari) – Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa
If 2002 wasn’t enough, it was the Prancing Horse that reignited the controversial flames during the 2010 German GP.
Ferrari’s Felipe Massa led the race with his teammate Fernando Alonso close behind. On Lap 49, Massa would receive the infamous radio message from the pitwall stating: “Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message?”
Given that the Spaniard was in a stronger position to fight for the championship at this point of the season and fearing that he would not be able to pick up the maximum championship points, Ferrari decided to impose aggressive team orders to ensure Alonso’s title hope wasn’t lost — a move that not only sparked major controversy among those within the paddock but also landed Ferrari a US$100,000 fine.
At the time, the FIA regulations stated that team orders which interfere with a race result were prohibited. Ferrari was also charged with a breach Article 151C of the FIA International Sporting Code, which relates to “any fraudulent conduct, or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motorsport generally.”
2013, Malaysia GP (Red Bull) – Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber
Red Bull’s Mark Webber led the 2013 Malaysian GP ahead of Sebastian Vettel in second after the final round of pit stops. Given that was the maximum amount of points a team could score (there was no championship point awarded for setting the fastest lap during the 2013 season, and the fastest lap was set by McLaren’s Sergio Perez), the team issued the infamous coded instruction “Multi-21“.
“Sebastian, Multi Map 21. Multi Map 21. And look after your tyres, please.” – Red Bull’s radio message to Sebastian Vettel
Multi 21 meant that car #2 (Webber) should stay ahead of car #1 (Vettel) — essentially telling both drivers to hold position and maintain a safe 1-2 finish. Still with 13 laps to go, Vettel ignored team orders and went on to attack Webber into Turn 1, leading to a furious Webber confronting Vettel post-race, saying: “Multi 21, Seb. Multi 21”.
The Malaysian GP was only the second round of the season, so one could argue that Vettel was justified in his move to ignore team orders. The German also revealed that his overtaking at Sepang was payback for when Webber made life difficult for him despite Vettel being in a title fight.
2022, Brazilian GP (Red Bull) – Sergio Perez, Max Verstappen
At this stage of the season, Max Verstappen had already secured the driver’s title for the 2022 season. As the race approached its final stages, Red Bull requested the Dutchman to let his teammate Sergio Perez overtake in hopes of gaining more points in the battle for second place in the driver’s standings.
Perez had earlier allowed Verstappen to overtake him so he could catch Fernando Alonso for fifth place. When he failed to do so, the team instructed him to hand the position back to Perez, which Verstappen refused to do with a handful of laps left.
And what was Verstappen’s reply over the radio when his race engineer questioned his refusal to hand back the position? “I told you already last summer … Guys, don’t ask that again to me. Ok? Are we clear about that? I gave my reasons and I stand by it.”
Will McLaren Continue To Implement The Papaya Rules?
One of the most common criticisms from fans alike is how far McLaren will go to implement this fair racing policy among its drivers, especially in situations where the championship battle comes down to the final race of the season or both drivers enter Abu Dhabi level on points.
That’s something that’s still up for debate. While team harmony is crucial to nurture the right environment that can elevate the mental state and competitiveness of a driver, time and time again, we have seen how the Papaya Rules can backfire even with good intentions.
My stance is that mechanical failures, slow pitstops, and even bad luck are part of racing. Let the drivers do their talking on the track instead of ensuring “fair” conditions for drivers to compete — and hopefully, the championship fight doesn’t end on a sour note.
Featured Image Credit: McLaren