Oscar Piastri delivered a positive verdict on the concept of ‘papaya rules’ within McLaren, despite ultimately being defeated in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship.
The Australian was third in the final standings after finishing second in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with team-mate Lando Norris taking the title, with Max Verstappen second.
Piastri had been leading by a high of 34 points after the Dutch Grand Prix, but the subsequent nine rounds saw him lose his advantage.
This was largely down to stunning turnarounds by Verstappen and Norris in that time, amid some contentious moments that came via McLaren’s ‘team first’ principles.
But Piastri thinks that, whilst he wasn’t the victor, the fact that a McLaren driver prevailed is a vindication of the implementation of the guidelines the team set in place.
“I think it is a testament to the way we go racing,” he told media including Motorsport Week, alongside race-winner Verstappen after the race at the Yas Marina Circuit.
“Obviously, it’s not easy fighting for both the Constructors’ Championship and the Drivers’ Championship with two very evenly matched drivers.
“But ultimately, that’s a problem we knew we were going to have. At the end of the day, I think there’s a lot of good things that come from that.
“Yes, there’s difficult moments and tension at times, but I think both Lando and I have become better drivers from pushing each other to the limit.
“Sometimes that’s been uncomfortable for everyone, but ultimately, yeah, it’s been a good thing.
“We’ve had a lot of discussions through the year, and I’m sure we’ll have discussions in the off-season about anything we want to do slightly differently for next year.
“But I think at the end of the day, they gave us both as good a chance as the team could have to fairly fight for a World Championship, and that’s all you can ask for.”
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