The historic ‘non-aggression pact’ that Oscar Piastri stuck to with first-lap Monza move on Lando Norris

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It did not take long before Oscar Piastri pulled off a move on Lando Norris to take the lead of the Italian Grand Prix.

With a front-row lockout all McLaren had to do was preserve their lead on the opening lap to rivals behind to ensure they had an advantage during the pit stops.

Lando Norris kept his lead on the outside at the Variante chicane, but Oscar Piastri stayed on the inside and managed to stick alongside heading through Curva Grande.

As they approached the Variante della Roggia chicane, Piastri pulled off an ambitious move around the outside of Norris and took the lead. The move left Norris on the back foot exiting the corner, enabling Charles Leclerc to slip through and take second.

Former racing driver Davide Valsecci believes Piastri pulled off one of the best moves of the season, due to how easy it is to cause a collision.

The move by Piastri was not only executed perfectly without making contact, but he also abided by a long-standing ‘non-aggression pact’ between McLaren drivers on the opening lap that goes back to 1989 according to journalist Michael Schmidt on the Formel Schmidt podcast.

Oscar Piastri sticks to ‘non-aggression pact’ between McLaren drivers on opening lap

McLaren has a long-standing rule between its drivers that dates back to the 1989 San Marino Grand Prix, which dictates that whoever leads heading into the first corner should stay there.

Both Alan Prost and Ayrton Senna had this agreement at the race in Imola, but the Brazilian famously broke the pact which led to their falling out behind the scenes.

“In my opinion, the manoeuvre [from Piastri] was very good especially as Piastri stuck to the team’s rules,” said Schmidt.

“We remember in 1989 in Imola were also [two] McLaren [drivers] on the front row, that’s why there was a non-aggression pact in the first corner. I think it’s good and shows Piastri drives for himself, he knows what he wants.”

McLaren uses ‘papaya rules’ to keep Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in check

Now that McLaren is in a position to challenge for race wins comfortably, there is an increasing possibility that both Norris and Piastri will battle on track for victories.

As evidenced by their team orders at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the team is more than willing for enforce rules between their drivers if they feel it is necessary.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

During the Italian GP both drivers were told to stick to ‘papaya rules’ which was later revealed as McLaren shorthand for: don’t crash when racing.

Calls for McLaren to back Norris over Piastri have intensified after Monza, considering the Briton could have made a considerable dent in Max Verstappen’s title defence if he won the race.