Monza always brings noise. This weekend, some of it wasn’t from V6 hybrids.
First up: the “papaya rules” that apparently aren’t. Lando Norris, fresh from McLaren’s Italian GP team-orders kerfuffle, was adamant that any notion of a standing intra-team policy is over—and maybe never really existed—after he was told to hold position late on. That didn’t land well with everyone. Former McLaren design engineer Mark Lane accused Norris of throwing his toys out of the pram, unimpressed by the public pushback. Whether you buy the criticism or not, it’s another reminder that McLaren’s resurgence has brought with it the kind of tension you only get when there’s real silverware on the line. Fast cars make sharp elbows.
Speaking of sharp eyes, Adrian Newey has been doing the rounds with the kind of curiosity that’s made him… well, Adrian Newey. Now at Aston Martin, he was spotted studying McLaren’s MCL39 on the grid in Monaco and again at Silverstone earlier this season—lingering looks that stirred plenty of paddock intrigue. A former Mercedes crew member suggested the habit is entirely Newey: head tilted, brain whirring, learning by looking. It’s classic. That the MCL39 is the grid’s reference car only adds spice. If you’re Aston Martin, you’ll love that Newey’s taking notes. If you’re McLaren, you’ll hope he needs more than a glance.
Over at the FIA, it’s déjà vu mixed with pragmatism. Nikolas Tombazis, the governing body’s single-seater lead, says conversations have already started about what comes after the 2026 reset. A planned sit-down with the power unit manufacturers was reportedly pushed back this week, but the thrust remains: lock in 2026, then sketch the next five-year arc. With a new engine formula incoming and chassis rules intertwined, nobody wants a repeat of loopholes discovered in-season. Start the hard questions now, avoid a political firestorm later. In theory.
Then there’s Daniel Ricciardo. Retired from racing, yes. Gone? Not quite. The Australian has taken a global racing ambassador role with Ford—handy timing given Red Bull Powertrains’ tie-up with the Blue Oval for 2026. Laurent Mekies has already dropped a cheeky hint that Ricciardo might resurface in some Red Bull capacity when the new regs land. Don’t expect a sudden full-time return to the grid, but a hybrid role—ambassador, testing, sim, promotional crossovers—feels entirely on-brand. Ricciardo’s smile in a Ford-Red Bull launch suite? You can picture it already.
Meanwhile, Ferrari’s house had its own squabble. With a five-place grid penalty to serve after a double-yellow infringement in Zandvoort, Lewis Hamilton could’ve played the dutiful teammate by towing Charles Leclerc in Q3 at Monza. He didn’t. Jean Alesi called out the seven-time champion’s “attitude” for staying tucked behind Leclerc in the queue rather than leading the train. It’s a hard one to ignore at Ferrari, where the optics are heavy and the tifosi keep score. Hamilton’s logic—mind his own lap, keep it clean—has merit, but on a weekend when teamwork could’ve mattered more, the missed tow felt like a small but telling moment.
All told, it was a very 2025 kind of Friday: a frontrunner wrestling with team dynamics, Newey prowling the pitlane with intent, the FIA already future-proofing the rulebook, Ricciardo finding a new lane that somehow loops back to Red Bull, and Ferrari juggling two number ones under the most unforgiving spotlight in motorsport.
Monza’s grandstands love a storyline. They’ve got plenty to chant about.
