McLaren has consistently and emphatically declared they do not have a No.1 driver in this Formula 1 season.

Their well-documented papaya rules – which enforce clean racing – were designed to give championship rivals and teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri the chance to compete fairly for the title, without intervention.

McLaren has secured the constructors’ championship but the battle for the driver’s trophy has narrowed.Credit: Getty Images

For the first half of the F1 calendar, the sacred papaya text worked a treat.

McLaren’s undisputed dominance secured 11 grand prix wins from the 14 opening races, with Mercedes and Red Bull sneaking onto the podium occasionally.

McLaren has negotiated bristling tensions between Norris and Piastri over swapped places, slow pit stops and occasional collisions fairly smoothly, comforted by the fact the championship race remained an internal two-horse battle.

That is no longer the case.

Max Verstappen wins the US Grand Prix, eating away at McLaren’s dominance in the driver’s championship. Credit: Getty Images

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen has become a looming presence and external threat to McLaren’s hopes of securing a driver’s championship, solidified by his win in the United States Grand Prix on Monday........

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