McLaren facing 'impossible' situation with papaya rules - Horner

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes McLaren will find it “impossible” to prioritise one driver when they are free to battle each other on track.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri went wheel-to-wheel on the opening lap of the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday as Piastri overtook pole-sitter Norris on the opening lap.

Norris is currently Max Verstappen's closest challenger in the drivers' championship and narrowed the gap to 62 points with a run to third at Monza while Verstappen struggled for pace en route to sixth.

McLaren referenced “papaya rules” throughout race day as both drivers were instructed to take extra care when battling each other.

Piastri's overtake saw Charles Leclerc leap through for the second position - and ultimately the race win - which helped Red Bull's title cause.

“I don't know what the papaya rules are, but they nearly took themselves out of the race at the second chicane,” Horner told media including RacingNews365.

“From a drivers’ championship point of view, it helped us out today.”

McLaren has stated it will favour Norris going forward with the drivers' title in mind.

“It’s always a difficult position as a team,” Horner added when asked about team orders at McLaren. 

“But it's inevitable at some point that you’ve got to put your best foot forward. And it's impossible to do that when you've got a situation like that.”