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

Toto Wolff: McLaren May Need to Implement Team Orders for Lando Norris

Mercedes Chief Expresses Opinion on McLaren's Team Orders Discussion

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has indicated that McLaren may soon need to make a tough decision about using team orders as the F1 championship battle nears its end.

McLaren seemed to have an ideal chance to take advantage of Red Bull's Max Verstappen having a difficult weekend by securing the top two positions on the grid for the Italian Grand Prix. However, Lando Norris, who started in pole position, dropped from first to third during the opening lap after a tussle with his teammate Oscar Piastri.

Piastri overtook his teammate with a bold maneuver on the outside of the Della Roggia chicane, and then Norris conceded another spot to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the next turn.

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

Toto Wolff mentioned that when a racing team unexpectedly finds itself competing at the front, it faces a difficult situation. He explained that, on one hand, the team members are racers just like his own team. This was in response to a question about whether he was surprised that McLaren permitted their drivers to compete against each other.

"We aim to ensure that the most deserving individual succeeds; however, when this begins to create dysfunction and negatively affect the team's performance, how should one respond?"

"The team consistently finds itself at a disadvantage because adhering strictly to fixed positions and team orders may not align with the spirit of racing we cherish. However, it is essential for the logical approach to take precedence."

"Ultimately, you don't want to miss out on winning a championship by just a few points that you could have easily earned. Balancing that fine line is extremely challenging, and there's no one-size-fits-all solution for managing it."

Wolff suggested that McLaren team boss Andrea Stella might need to reconsider their 'Papaya Rules' and shift from his "racer's spirit" strategy.

Toto Wolff stated, "Nobody grasps the essence of sports better than Andrea Stella and Zak Brown. Andrea has witnessed such scenarios unfold numerous times during his tenure at Ferrari."

"He possesses the competitive spirit that resists intervention and prefers to let the competitors race freely. However, I believe a decision will be made about our approach following this event… what is our strategy for managing this?"

"At this point, we began to implement guidelines for how drivers should engage, but we later modified the terminology to 'racing intent' since the term 'rules' seemed too severe for the drivers."

Explore Further

Recent Updates

Recent Updates

Site Map

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

It is prohibited to reproduce the text, photographs, or illustrations in whole or in part in any manner.