Papaya Pitwall

FP3 is complete in Baku, and the final practice session brought some encouraging signs for the Papaya Boys.After a difficult Friday, Oscar Piastri finished P7 while Lando Norris took P8, with both McLarens closing the gap to the front.There's still one big question. Do McLaren have enough pace to fight when qualifying begins? Headsets on, timing screens up — let's talk Papaya Boys!  Oscar Piastri — P7 Oscar Piastri was the quicker of the two McLaren drivers in FP3. The #81 McLaren produced a 1:44.746, putting Oscar seventh and 0.824 seconds behind Max Verstappen's session-leading 1:43.922. It's still a sizeable gap, but compared with Friday, there are reasons to be more positive. Oscar also appeared encouraged by McLaren's longer-run performance earlier in the weekend, so the big challenge now is finding that extra performance over a single lap. Around Baku, that's easier said than done. The walls are close, confidence is everything, and one small mistake can de...

FP2 is complete in Baku… and things are looking a little better for the Papaya Boys.  Lando Norris #1 — P6 Oscar Piastri #81 — P8 After a messy FP1 where both McLarens lost valuable track time, FP2 finally gave us a better look at where the MCL40 stands. There are positives but there's also one pretty big problem…McLaren are still a LONG way from the fastest time.  Lando Norris — P6 Let's start with Lando. After finishing down in P14 during FP1, he bounced back to take: P6 — 1:44.831 That's definitely an improvement. Lando completed 22 laps and finally got some proper running after the problems McLaren experienced earlier in the day but despite finishing P6, he was still 1.484 seconds behind George Russell's fastest time. That's a significant gap. There is some encouragement, though. Lando backed out of a lap that appeared capable of improving his time. So P6 might not show absolutely everything that was available from the car. Still…McLaren have work to do. Oscar P...

 The Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend is underway… and FP1 wasn't exactly the start we were hoping for from our Papaya Boys.  Oscar Piastri finishes P6. Lando Norris finishes P14. Both McLarens lost valuable track time, and neither driver had the smooth opening session they would've wanted but it's only FP1. So let's talk about what happened and whether we should actually be worried. Oscar Piastri — P6 Let's start with Oscar. P6 — 1:46.398 Oscar finished just over a second behind George Russell's fastest time and considering how disrupted his session was? P6 isn't terrible. Oscar reported vibrations early in FP1, and McLaren spent time working on his car. That meant he only completed 17 laps during the session. So we didn't get the cleanest look at what Oscar or the McLaren could really do. The positive? Even with the lost running, Oscar still put himself inside the top six. There's definitely more to come. Lando Norris — P14 For Lando? Things were much...

It's race day in Baku and it's time to focus entirely on our Papaya Boys — Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Baku is unpredictable at the best of times. Huge straights. Tiny margins for error. Safety Cars. Strategy gambles and walls waiting for anyone who makes even the smallest mistake. So where do I think the two McLaren drivers will finish? I've already made my predictions… Lando Norris — P4 Oscar Piastri — P6 Let's talk about why! LANDO NORRIS — P4 I'm predicting Lando Norris to finish P4 in Baku. Would I love another podium? Absolutely! but my prediction is fourth. Lando showed in Madrid that even when a weekend isn't straightforward, he can still put himself right into the fight. Baku presents a completely different challenge. The enormous main straight could make overtaking and defending difficult, while the narrow middle sector means one tiny mistake can completely destroy a race. For Lando, I think the key is going to be staying out of trouble. Keep the c...

The Madrid Grand Prix is over, and for the Papaya Boys, this one is going to hurt.  After an incredible qualifying performance put Lando Norris on pole, it looked like McLaren had a genuine opportunity to win the first Formula 1 race around Madring.  For a large part of the race, Lando wasn't just fighting for victory.  He was controlling it b ut a badly timed Virtual Safety Car and a slow pit stop turned everything upside down.  Lando eventually finished P3, while Oscar Piastri endured a completely different afternoon, recovering to P8 after suffering front-wing damage on the opening lap.  So let's talk about the Papaya Boys' Madrid Grand Prix. 🧡  Lando Starts From Pole What a turnaround this weekend had already been for Lando.  Remember, he basically missed FP2 because of a gearbox problem. Then he came back on Saturday and put the McLaren on pole position, beating Kimi Antonelli by just 0.011 seconds  but getting pole was only half the job....

 Madrid qualifying is complete, and the two Papaya boys have come away with VERY different results. For Lando Norris? POLE POSITION! For Oscar Piastri? A frustrating P7, leaving him with plenty of work to do on race day. After losing almost the entire FP2 session because of a gearbox problem, Lando has completed an incredible comeback to take pole by just 0.011 seconds. Meanwhile, Oscar looked like a genuine contender after finishing P3 in FP3, but couldn't put it all together when qualifying arrived. So, let's get into my On the Pitwall Papaya Boys qualifying reaction! Lando Norris — POLE POSITION! Let's start with Lando. P1!  What a turnaround this has been. Look at how his Madrid weekend developed: FP1 — P6 FP2 — Almost no running FP3 — P4 Qualifying — P1  After the gearbox problem in FP2, there were definitely questions about how much losing an entire session would hurt him. Madring is a new circuit. Every lap matters but Lando came back in FP3, im...

FP3 in Madrid is complete, and if you're a McLaren fan… THAT is more like it! After a difficult Friday, the Papaya boys have bounced back in a big way. Oscar Piastri — P3. Lando Norris — P4. Both McLarens are right up there with the fastest cars, and suddenly things are looking much more promising heading into qualifying. Oscar has continued to improve session after session, while Lando has made an impressive recovery after missing FP2 because of his gearbox problem. So, are McLaren now genuine contenders for pole? Here's my On the Pitwall Papaya Boys FP3 reaction!  Oscar Piastri — P3! Let's start with Oscar. P3 in FP3! This is exactly what I wanted to see. Just look at his progression throughout the weekend: FP1 — P8 FP2 — P7 FP3 — P3 🧡 Every session, Oscar has moved forward and this time, it wasn't just a small improvement. He's gone from sitting around P7 and P8 to being right in the fight at the front. Oscar finished only 0.189 seconds behind Kimi Antonelli...

FP2 in Madrid is complete, and it was a very mixed session for the Papaya boys — Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.  Oscar got another important session under his belt and finished P7 , improving slightly from FP1. Lando, however, didn't complete a single lap after a gearbox change kept him in the garage. At a brand-new circuit like Madring, losing an entire practice session is far from ideal. So, should we be worried about Lando? Is Oscar making progress? And can McLaren turn things around before qualifying?  Lando Norris — No Time Let's start with the biggest McLaren story from FP2.  Lando Norris didn't set a time.  After finishing P6 in FP1, I was looking forward to seeing whether Lando could close the gap to Mercedes and Ferrari. Instead, he spent the session in the garage while McLaren carried out a gearbox change. That's frustrating at any race weekend. At a completely new circuit?  It's an even bigger problem.  Every lap around Madring gives the drivers...

 FP1 in Madrid is complete, and it's time to focus on the Papaya boys — Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri! It wasn't quite the start McLaren fans would've been dreaming about. Lando finished P6, while Oscar finished P8, with Mercedes setting the pace at the front but it's only FP1 at a brand-new circuit, so is there actually anything to worry about? Let's take a look at how the Papaya boys got on. Lando Norris — P6 Let's start with Lando. P6 in FP1 .  Lando finished around eight tenths behind George Russell's fastest time. Obviously, I would've loved to see Lando immediately fighting inside the top three, but I'm not too worried about P6 yet. This is the first Formula 1 weekend at Madring, and everyone is still learning the circuit. FP1 isn't just about setting the fastest lap either. McLaren will have been gathering data, experimenting with the setup and trying to understand how the car behaves around this new track. The positive? Lando was the qui...

It’s race week again, and this time Formula 1 is heading to Madrid! That means it’s time to make my predictions for the two Papaya boys — Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. There’s plenty to be excited about heading into the weekend. For McLaren, the big question is simple: can the Papaya boys fight at the front in Madrid? Here are my predictions. Lando Norris – P3  First up is Lando Norris, and I’m predicting a podium finish. I’m going with P3 for Lando. I think Lando has a great chance of putting himself into the fight at the front, particularly if McLaren can get the car dialled in early in the weekend. Qualifying could be extremely important. If Lando can get himself near the front of the grid on Saturday, I think he'll have the pace to stay in the battle throughout the race and, of course, anything can happen once the lights go out. Could Lando even challenge for the win if an opportunity comes his way? I certainly wouldn't rule it out. My prediction: Lando Norris – P3  ...

Welcome to Papaya Pitwall, my corner of the internet dedicated to all things McLaren and Formula 1. If you love the excitement of race weekends, the drama of Formula 1, the strategy battles from the pit wall and, of course, that unmistakable papaya orange, you’re in the right place. What is Papaya Pitwall? Papaya Pitwall is a place for Formula 1 fans to talk about everything happening both on and off the track. I’ll be covering McLaren, the drivers, race results, qualifying, strategy decisions, team news and some of the biggest stories from across the F1 grid. After race weekends, I’ll share my thoughts on what went right, what went wrong and those moments that leave us all shouting at the TV. There’ll also be predictions ahead of races, discussions about the championship and plenty of opinions along the way. Why Papaya Pitwall? The name comes from McLaren’s famous papaya colours combined with one of the most important places during an F1 race: the pit wall. The pit wall is where races...