Lando Norris pulls back the curtain on possible return of 'Papaya Rules' as battle with teammate Oscar Piastri looks inevitable

McLaren got off to a blistering start to the F1 season after Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locked the front row for the race in Melbourne. As both McLaren drivers are at even keel, Norris sent a message to his teammate and spoke about the return of the Papaya rules, something they "cannot cross."

Norris claimed the pole for the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, ahead of his teammate, Piastri. The Briton was eight-hundredth of a second faster than his Australian teammate in his final flying lap, and snatched the pole at the last minute from the home hero, Piastri.

With both of them starting at the front and having the mighty MCL39 underneath them, there are chances that the Papaya drivers could tussle for supremacy and eventually, race wins. However, they need to abide by a certain set of rules, known as Papaya rules in the McLaren F1 world.

"There have obviously been discussions," Norris told Sky Sports, about the Papaya rules following the Australian GP qualifying. "We're prepared because we know we're going to have a lot more of this kind of thing over the course of the season. There are clearly rules we cannot cross. Both cars will always have to stay in the race and that kind of thing. But we're both competitors. That's clear."

"We both want to fight for victories. That's clear, but there's just boundaries around the car, so it's a little bit more space here and there, but we're free to race. We're free to try and win races," Norris further added.

Lando Norris posted a time of 1:15.096 in his final flying lap, compared to Piastri's 1:15.180. Defending champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull qualified in third place, ahead of George Russell of Mercedes and Yuki Tsunoda of Racing Bulls in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Alex Albon of Williams, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari, Pierre Gasly of Alpine, and Carlos Sainz of Williams wrapped up the Top 10.

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Oscar Piastri echoed teammate Lando Norris' comments: "We're free to race each other"

Lando Norris' teammate at McLaren, Oscar Piastri, shared similar comments. The Australian, in the post qualifying interview, stated that they are free to race each other, but without making contact.

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris of McLaren talk in the Drivers Press Conference - Source: Getty

"We are free to race each other. I obviously want to win the race as much as Lando does," Piastri told Sky Sports. "The No 1 rule is to have no contact and to give each other space, so that's no different. If there's opportunities for either of us to take advantage of certain situations, then we will and we're free to do that."

McLaren finished the 2024 F1 season on top as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri helped the Papayas claim the constructors' championship over Ferrari. Coming into 2025, they start as favorites, given their early season form.