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

Toto Wolff suggests McLaren should prioritize Lando Norris with team orders

Mercedes chief shares his opinion on the McLaren team orders discussion

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

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

Piastri overtook his teammate with a daring maneuver on the outside of the Della Roggia chicane. Shortly after, Norris gave up another spot to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at the next turn.

Norris concluded the race in third place, trailing Piastri and Leclerc. This performance reduced Verstappen's lead in the drivers' championship to 62 points, as the Dutchman managed to secure only a sixth-place finish. With eight races left in the season, the competition remains intense.

"As a racing team that is now competing at the front, you find yourself in a difficult position. On one hand, they are racers just like we are," Wolff commented when questioned about his reaction to McLaren permitting their drivers to compete against each other.

“We aim to ensure the most deserving individual succeeds, but when it begins to cause dysfunction and negatively affect the team's performance, how should you respond to that?"

The team often ends up losing because if you lock in positions and issue team orders, it might not align with the passionate spirit of racing. However, the logical approach must take precedence.

"In the end, nobody wants to miss out on winning a championship by just three or five points, especially when those points could have been easily secured. Balancing that act is incredibly challenging, and there isn’t a single correct way to go about it."

Wolff suggested that McLaren team leader Andrea Stella might need to re-evaluate their 'Papaya Rules' and consider shifting from his "racer's spirit" methodology.

Toto Wolff stated that no one has a deeper understanding of sports than Andrea Stella and Zak Brown. He emphasized that Andrea has witnessed numerous situations unfold firsthand during his time at Ferrari.

"He possesses a racer's spirit that resists intervention and prefers to let the competitors race freely, but I believe a decision will be made following this race… what's our approach to managing this?"

"We began by establishing guidelines for interaction, but later altered the terminology to 'racing intent' because the word 'rules' seemed too strict for the drivers."

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