F1
Team Orders Debate: Toto Wolff Urges McLaren to Back Lando Norris in F1 Title Chase
Toto Wolff suggests McLaren prioritize Lando Norris with team orders
The Mercedes chief shares his thoughts on the McLaren team orders discussion
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has indicated that McLaren may need to make a tough decision about using team orders as the F1 championship battle nears its end.
McLaren seemed to be in an ideal position to take advantage of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen's rough weekend by securing the top two spots on the Italian Grand Prix starting grid. However, pole-sitter Lando Norris dropped from first to third during the opening lap after a tussle with his teammate Oscar Piastri.
Piastri overtook his teammate with a daring maneuver on the outside of the Della Roggia chicane, and then Norris gave up another spot to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the next turn.
Norris secured a third-place finish, trailing Piastri and Leclerc, and narrowed Verstappen's lead in the drivers' championship to 62 points. This comes with eight races left in the season, as Verstappen managed only a sixth-place finish.
When questioned about whether he was taken aback by McLaren permitting their drivers to compete, Wolff remarked, "As a team suddenly fighting at the front, you're in a tough position. On one hand, their drivers are racers just like ours."
"We aim to ensure that the most deserving individual succeeds, but when the situation becomes chaotic and negatively affects the team's performance, what should be the response?"
"The team frequently ends up losing because enforcing fixed positions and issuing team orders might go against the spirit of racing, even though it's the sensible approach."
"In the end, you don't want to miss winning a championship by just three or five points, especially when those points could have been easily earned. Balancing this challenge is extremely tough, and there's no single right way to manage it."
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella might need to reassess their 'Papaya Rules' and reconsider his "racer's soul" strategy, according to Wolff.
"Andrea Stella and Zak Brown are incredibly knowledgeable about sports. Andrea has witnessed numerous events unfold firsthand during his time at Ferrari," Wolff commented.
"He possesses the competitive spirit that makes him reluctant to intervene, preferring to let the racers compete freely. However, I believe a decision will be made regarding the management of such situations after this race… How will we address this?"
"This is when we began to establish guidelines for participation, and then we altered the terminology to 'racing intent' because 'rules' sounded too strict for the drivers."
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