Time for Team Orders? Toto Wolff Urges McLaren to Prioritize Lando Norris as F1 Title Fight Heats Up

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suggests McLaren should implement team orders to benefit Lando Norris

Mercedes chief weighs in on McLaren's team strategy discussion

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has hinted that McLaren needs to consider making a tough decision regarding team orders as the F1 championship battle nears its end.

McLaren seemed poised to take full advantage of Max Verstappen's disappointing weekend for Red Bull by securing the top two spots on the starting grid for the Italian Grand Prix. However, pole position holder Lando Norris fell from first to third place during the opening lap after a tussle with his teammate, Oscar Piastri.

Piastri overtook his teammate with a daring maneuver on the outer edge of the Della Roggia chicane, and then Norris was overtaken by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the next turn.

Norris secured third place, trailing Piastri and Leclerc, and reduced Verstappen’s lead in the drivers' championship to 62 points with eight races left, after the Dutchman managed to finish only in sixth place.

When questioned about his reaction to McLaren letting their drivers compete, Wolff remarked, "As a team now fighting at the front, you're in a tough spot. On one hand, they're racers just like we are."

"We aim to ensure the most deserving individual succeeds, but when it starts causing dysfunction and negatively affects the team’s performance, how should one respond?"

The team consistently ends up losing because when you lock in positions and implement team orders, it might not align with our racing spirit, but the logical approach must take precedence.

"In the end, you don’t want to miss winning a championship by just three or five points that you could have easily secured. Balancing this is extremely challenging, and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer on how to manage it."

Wolff suggested that McLaren team leader Andrea Stella might need to rethink their ‘Papaya Rules’ and abandon his “racers’ soul” strategy.

Toto Wolff stated that Andrea Stella and Zak Brown have an unparalleled understanding of sports. He emphasized that Andrea has witnessed numerous similar situations during his tenure at Ferrari.

"He possesses the competitive spirit typical of racers, which makes him hesitant to intervene and inclined to let them compete freely. However, I believe that once this race is over, they will reach some kind of decision on how to manage the situation."

“At this point, we began implementing the guidelines for engagement and later altered the terminology to 'racing intent' since the term 'rules' seemed too stern for the drivers.”

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