Title: “Toto Wolff Urges McLaren to Consider Team Orders for Lando Norris Amid F1 Title Battle

Toto Wolff suggests that McLaren should prioritize Lando Norris through team orders

Mercedes chief comments on the ongoing discussion about McLaren's team strategies

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has indicated that McLaren may need to make a tough decision regarding team orders as the Formula 1 championship battle nears its end.

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

Piastri overtook his teammate with a bold maneuver around the outside of the Della Roggia chicane. Shortly after, Norris was passed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at the next turn.

Norris secured a third-place finish, coming in behind Piastri and Leclerc. This result reduced Verstappen's lead in the drivers' championship to 62 points with eight races left, as the Dutchman managed to finish only in sixth place.

Toto Wolff commented on the challenging position faced by a leading racing team, stating, "When you're a team competing at the forefront, you find yourself in a tough spot. On one hand, their drivers are racers just like ours," when questioned about his reaction to McLaren letting their drivers compete against each other.

“Our goal is to ensure the most deserving person succeeds, but when the situation turns counterproductive and affects the team's effectiveness, how should you respond to that?”

The team often ends up losing because enforcing fixed positions and team orders goes against the essence of racing, even though it's the logical approach.

"In the end, nobody wants to miss out on winning a championship by just a few points that were within reach. Balancing this challenge is extremely tough, and there's no single answer on how to manage it."

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

Toto Wolff mentioned that Andrea Stella and Zak Brown are incredibly knowledgeable about sports. He pointed out that Andrea has witnessed many similar situations firsthand during his time at Ferrari.

"He possesses the spirit of a true racer who prefers to avoid intervention and let the competitors race freely, but I believe a decision will be made after this event… what is our approach to managing this?"

"At that point, we began to present guidelines for engagement, later modifying the terminology to 'racing intent' since the term 'rules' seemed too stringent for the drivers."

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