Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has taken aim at McLaren for a specific anomaly that lies within its frequently-debated ‘papaya rules’ principles.
The Woking-based squad produced its first clean sweep of both Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships since 1998 in 2025 after a largely dominant year.
Lando Norris overturned a 34-point deficit to team-mate Oscar Piastri to take the title, simultaneously fighting off a resurgent Max Verstappen.
Amid its glorious charge, its doctrine of intra-team fairness often caused issues, such as the pair’s collisions in Canada and Singapore, as well as the botched pit-stop incident in Italy, which saw Piastri asked to give up second place to Norris.
Speaking on the Red Flags Podcast, Coulthard, who drove for the team between 1996 and 2004, picked up on a specific peculiarity that many have not – orders being dished out to driver by their respective race engineers.
“The only criticism I would have is that I don’t like when the engineer — because that bond between the driver and the engineer, for me, has to be absolute,” he said.
“I would liken it to: If you guys are in the trenches together and someone blows the whistle back in the day to go out and fight the enemy, you’ve got to know that you’re both going at the same time.
“You know, [they’re] not hiding behind you, and you’re not hiding; you’re there shoulder to shoulder.
“So that relationship between driver and engineer has to be unbreakable, that bond.”
Leave McLaren team orders to neutral pit wall figure – Coulthard
When Ferrari imposed team orders on Felipe Massa at the 2010 German Grand Prix to let team-mate Fernando Alonso through, it was left to his Race Engineer, Rob Smedley, to subtly direct him under the now-infamous phrase: “Fernando is faster than you.”
This was when team orders were effectively banned, and coded language were a necessity as a loophole around it.
At the 2001 German Grand Prix, when the Scuderia requested Rubens Barrichello let Michael Schumacher through at the Austrian Grand Prix – ironically due to Coulthard, Schumacher’s chief title rival, winning the race – Team Principal Jean Todt issued the order: “Let Michael pass for the championship, Rubens, please.”
If such a decision is taken and an order is given, then it should be down to a neutral figurehead within the team, according to the 13-time Grand Prix-winner.
“So I think that when they do give ‘move over, don’t race’ type instructions, that should come from the Team Principal or Sporting Director” Coulthard said.
“It should not come from the race engineer.
“The driver should absolutely believe that his engineer would say: ‘That’s not my job, my job is to get my driver winning, and I will only give instructions that can help that. But I’m a professional and therefore if there’s an instruction which is going to get my driver to hold position, that has to come from someone else in the team’.”
McLaren now has such a figure in addition to Andrea Stella, with Will Courtenay joining the team from rivals Red Bull earlier than expected, in time for the start of the forthcoming season.
READ MORE – Ex-Red Bull strategist completes major F1 switch to McLaren
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