Time for Team Orders? Toto Wolff Urges McLaren to Prioritize Lando Norris in Championship Pursuit

Toto Wolff suggests McLaren prioritize Lando Norris with team orders

Mercedes chief weighs in on McLaren's team orders discussion

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has indicated that McLaren may now need to consider enforcing team orders, as the F1 championship battle nears its end.

McLaren seemed poised to take advantage of Max Verstappen's struggles at the Italian Grand Prix by securing the top two positions on the starting grid. However, pole-sitter Lando Norris dropped from first to third place during the opening lap following 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 surrendered another spot to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at the very next turn.

Norris secured a third-place finish, trailing behind Piastri and Leclerc. This result allowed him to reduce Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ championship to 62 points, with eight races still to go, as the Dutchman ended up in sixth place.

Wolff expressed that as a leading racing team, McLaren finds themselves in a challenging situation. He explained that while the team is now competing at the forefront, allowing their drivers to race against each other presents a difficult dilemma.

"We aim to ensure that the most deserving individual succeeds, but when the situation turns chaotic and negatively affects the team's efficiency, what steps do you take in response?"

"The team often ends up losing because when you lock in positions and impose team orders, it may not align with the spirit of racing we cherish, 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 earned. Balancing this is incredibly challenging, and there's no one-size-fits-all solution for dealing with it."

Wolff suggested that McLaren's team leader, Andrea Stella, might need to reassess their 'Papaya Rules' and shift from his current "racers' soul" strategy.

Toto Wolff expressed that Andrea Stella and Zak Brown have an unparalleled understanding of sports. He noted that Andrea has witnessed numerous events firsthand during his time at Ferrari.

"He has the spirit of a true racer who prefers to let the competitors run freely, but I believe they will reach a decision after this race… what's our approach to managing this?"

"At this point, we began to implement guidelines for conduct, and later we modified the terminology to 'racing intent' because the word 'rules' seemed too stringent for the drivers."

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