Max Verstappen’s father Jos Verstappen declares McLaren regrets ‘Papaya rules’ saga
Despite winning the constructors' title, McLaren failed to aid Lando Norris in his drivers' title challenge, as Jos Verstappen claimed.
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Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris and Jos Verstappen, images via IMAGO and Autosport
Mid-way through the 2024 season, McLaren set itself a challenge and aimed to dethrone Red Bull off its pedestal. However, it achieved half-hearted success as it won the constructors’ title but remained at a distance in the drivers’ tussle. This led Max Verstappen‘s father Jos Verstappen to assert that McLaren made a mistake incorporating papaya rules and giving equal treatment to its driver pair.
Lando Norris soon took up the role of the antagonist in the 2024 drivers’ championship fight. The 25-year-old took up a massive task to end Max Verstappen‘s reign over the sport. On the other hand, his teammate Oscar Piastri was also not far behind Norris’ pace and started to give the Briton competition.
This further heightened at the Hungarian GP, where the 25-year-old was asked to let by the Aussie in the dying stages of the race. This earned Piastri his maiden GP win, while Norris’ chance of closing up in the championship weakened.
While this incident was not the sole reason for the Briton’s failed title bid, Jos Verstappen took a grim view of this. The Dutchman was discontent with the way McLaren handled the papaya rules situation.
They must have regretted that later. Because you don’t know what’s going on in that team, what the situation is with contracts and what agreements were made. But if I translate it to Max, I think he would have had trouble letting his teammate pass him.
Jos Verstappen told F1
However, Norris would not be holding much grudges from the 2024 season. His title charge ended two rounds earlier in Las Vegas. Thus, Verstappen capitalized on every opportunity and amassed his fourth consecutive drivers’ world championship.
Jos Verstappen admits Red Bull would remain Max Verstappen’s home in F1
For a fair share of the 2024 season, rumors loomed around the paddock about Verstappen’s Red Bull future. In light of this, the reigning champion had admitted that he was loyal to the Austrian squad. However, his father trundled some waves in the F1 rumor mill.
Despite witnessing his son’s achievements with Red Bull and the performance advantage it would soon have after becoming a works team, the senior Dutchman changed his views on the ordeal.
Now look at McLaren and Mercedes. Are you better off with a Mercedes engine? Well, not at the moment. But of course that is exactly the competition you are in. That is also the beauty of the sport, that you can also just make the wrong decisions. And that has never been different in Formula 1
Jos Verstappen said (via Formule1.nl)
Therefore, Verstappen would be starting the next season with the aim of finishing the ground-effect regulations era on a high. Red Bull will be required to pull up its socks in an attempt to produce a title-worthy challenger for 2025.
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Geetansh Pasricha
(742 Articles Published)