Papaya rules blasted: 'You have a right to disobey team orders'
Photo: Race Pictures
Updated:
0 Comments
Tobia is a Formula 1 journalist at GPblog with experience at international circuits. Since 2022, he has covered Grands Prix across Europe, delivering reliable coverage and insights from the paddock.
Johnny Herbert and Damon Hill weighed in on the hot-button topic of McLaren’s papaya rules, now that Lando Norris has taken the lead in the championship.
"You have got a right as a driver to disobey team orders"- Damon Hill
The 1997 world champion, speaking on The Race podcast, believes these rules are simply confusing — for the drivers, the team, and the fans alike.
"I think it confuses people. It confuses the drivers, it confuses the team, it confuses people watching. They go, 'What is going on?' I'm not a fan. Unless I'm racing and I want them to tell my teammate to back off."
Herbert also agrees with his compatriot, warning that this system of internal rules could end up affecting the outcome of the championship: "I'm not a fan of it, and I would just say it because I don't want them dictating the outcome of a championship, and that is very possibly what could happen."
ADVERTISEMENT
Lando Norris - Photo: Race Pictures
Finally, Hill believes that a driver has the right to disobey team orders, saying, "No one else is going to look after your career for you."
"You have got a right as a driver to disobey team orders. If they say, 'Come second,' you can go, 'Do you know what? This is a race victory. I've never won a Grand Prix, and you're telling me not to do it?' Yeah. No, no."
Read also
Schumacher names favourite in F1 title fight between Norris and Piastri
ADVERTISEMENT
With just a single point between them and four races to go, the title fight is still wide open — though the momentum has clearly swung Norris’s way after his dominant win in Mexico.
The former German driver weighed in on who currently looks like the title favourite, noting that Max Verstappen is still lurking — even if he’s now trailing a little further behind the McLaren duo.
The title fight will reach another crucial turning point in Brazil next weekend, a track where the Dutchman has always shone — most recently with last year’s stunning comeback from seventeenth to victory in the rain.
Read also
GPblog's latest F1 Paddock Update
ADVERTISEMENT
Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.
Don’t miss GPblog in Google
Mark us as a preferred source and our articles will appear more often at the top of Top Stories.
Add as a preferred / source on Google
