Papaya rules blasted: 'You have a right to disobey team orders'

11:41, 02 Nov

Updated: 11:48, 02 Nov

byTobia Elia

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."

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."

Schumacher names favourite in F1 title fight between Norris and Piastri

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.

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