Oscar Piastri in the press conference

McLaren faces dramatic philosophy revamp? Piastri reveals future of papaya rules

19:53, 26 Jun

byLuke-John Buckle

Oscar Piastri is adamant that McLaren's Papaya rules will remain unchanged despite a collision between the championship leader and Lando Norris at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Piastri went on to finish in fourth place as Norris retired in the closing stages, allowing the Australians points advantage to increase to 22 points.

The Australian has been ice cool under pressure so far this season while his teammate has lacked composure, particularly in the final moments of qualifying.

Piastri explained in the Thursday press conference ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix that there will be no change to the approach by McLaren.

He said when asked if there will be a new stance: "Nope. Same as always. What happened in Canada wasn’t ideal, but we’re still free to race, still fighting for a championship each. So, no, keep going racing and make sure that we don't come into contact again."

The McLaren has been blisteringly fast so far this season and the Woking-based team have won seven of the 10 rounds.

Oscar Piastri holds a 22-point lead over Lando Norris in the title battle

Piastri and Norris' clash in Canada was the first flashpoint in the title battle between the McLaren pair as the pressure builds.

Piastri explained ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix that Norris was quick to apologise, and the full focus is now on the Red Bull Ring.

"We spoke about it honestly before we even got back to the team. Lando put his hands up and apologised. So, all good and looking forward to going racing again."

There is now significant pressure on Norris

Norris is now 22 points behind his teammate Piastri in the championship standings which is almost a full race wins worth of points.

The British driver has made a flurry of errors so far this season, including a qualifying error in Saudi Arabia and the misjudgment with Piastri in Canada.

Norris has all the capabilities to win races but needs to cut out the small errors that continue to hinder his raw speed.

The Red Bull Ring has been a good track for Norris in his career. Norris took his first F1 podium in Austria in 2020, but missed a chance to take victory a year ago after a crash with Max Verstappen.