Oscar Piastri answers if he would give up an F1 race win to support McLaren teammate Lando Norris in his championship bid

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has revealed Oscar Piastri would agree to let Lando Norris pass and win at future races if required. This would help Norris get closer to Max Verstappen in the 2024 F1 World Championship.

After McLaren locked out the front row at the Italian GP, the stage was set for a clear win for the team. However, while the race went on, the drivers were informed that they wouldn't be asked to concede positions to each other. They called it the "Papaya Rules." This sparked a row of controversy as Norris is much closer to Verstappen in the standings than his teammate.

The two contenders are separated by just 62 points in the championship with eight rounds to go in the season. For Norris to defeat Verstappen, it would be essential for him to finish as high as he can. His teammate Oscar Piastri could be a major help if he is asked to concede position (if the situations call for such strategies).

Team principal Andrea Stella revealed his conversation with Piastri during the recent discussions. He stated that the Australian would switch places, even though he finds it to be "painful."

"The conversations have been very collaborative," he told BBC Sport. "Even when I said to Oscar Piastri, ‘Would you be available to give up a victory?’ He said: ‘It’s painful, but if it’s the right thing to do now, I will do it.’"

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"This is not the way McLaren want to win": Andrea Stella on why Lando Norris would not want to be gifted a win by Oscar Piastri

Team orders have been an integral part of F1 for a long time. Teams ask the drivers to switch places if the driver behind is carrying more pace during a Grand Prix.

While a team might work perfectly in harmony to switch places, some drivers do not prefer that. In McLaren's case, it is the entire team's opinion. Stella mentioned that while teammates sometimes helping each other is acceptable, the procedure cannot always be followed. He also mentioned that Lando Norris would want to win by merit instead of being helped by Oscar Piastri.

"Lando wants to win because he deserved the victory on track," Stella added. "It’s OK to be occasionally supported by your team-mate, but you don’t want to use, systematically, ways of adjusting the race just for the sake of the points when your team-mate is scoring in a way that he deserves."

"This is not the way McLaren want to win, or the way Lando wants to win."

McLaren is currently the fastest team on the grid. Red Bull's domination came to a surprising end this season with its competitors taking away the top spot in multiple races. The top five on the grid are divided by a very narrow margin, and the race for the championship is set to go down to the wire.