McLaren coy on Lando Norris ‘repercussions’ as Glock mocks secrecy

McLaren’s reputation for transparency has come under fire in Austin, after CEO Zak Brown refused to explain the “repercussions” reportedly handed to Lando Norris following his collision with teammate Oscar Piastri in Singapore.

Two weeks after Norris confirmed that “consequences” had been issued internally, Brown dodged repeated questions about the nature of the penalty, despite McLaren’s regular emphasis on openness.

Speculation in the paddock points to tweaks in the team’s so-called “Papaya Rules” - an internal code governing team orders and race conduct - but Brown’s comments at the FIA press conference and later on Sky Italia only added to the uncertainty. “Everyone would love to hear the details of what we discussed, but some things are private,” Brown said.

“We were transparent – we found Lando responsible for an accident. I would be surprised if they (the consequences) were noticeable on the track, because they are quite minor and consistent with what happened. We don't want our cars to touch.

“I think only very experienced observers would be able to see anything. It was just a minor incident. The penalty is within the sporting scope.” Former F1 driver Timo Glock was unimpressed by the vagueness.

“Lando's allowance was cut. He's been grounded,” Glock joked on Sky Deutschland. “In my opinion, it's like this – either state clearly what's going on, or say nothing at all. They should say, ‘We have our Papaya Rules, whatever they are, and we keep them to ourselves.’ But this ‘yes, there are consequences, but we're not going to say it,’ is utter nonsense.

“Either I keep my mouth shut and say nothing about it, or I don't make myself vulnerable,” he added.

Glock believes McLaren’s confusion risks helping Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who starts the Austin sprint from pole ahead of both McLarens. “Max laughs his head off at things like that,” he said.

“He takes it all in stride and thinks to himself, ‘Just argue, I'll be right there if you crash into each other's cars again.’ I have no idea what the point of this little drama is to the outside world.”

Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone shared Glock’s view, telling Bild: “Max will be world champion again. All signs from McLaren point to them wanting Norris to win the title. That's why he, in second place, and Piastri, the championship leader, are taking points away from each other. So Max will do it again.”

Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko meanwhile suggested his team’s late-season resurgence might not be enough. “We've been absolutely back at the front for a few races now,” he told Sky Deutschland.

“Our resurgence seems to be coming a little too late, and I think we need help from McLaren. “There are different interpretations of the Papaya Rules,” added the 82-year-old Austrian.

“They have clashed a few times this year. Piastri has gotten off lightly each time. Perhaps things will look different one day.” Marko said Verstappen’s sprint pole was achieved thanks to “a risky, but very successful setup,” while Norris conceded: “It's no surprise that we've been a bit slower than Red Bull lately, so we're still quite happy.”