**Title:** “Toto Wolff Urges McLaren to Consider Team Orders for Lando Norris as Championship Battle Heats Up

Toto Wolff: McLaren might want to prioritize Lando Norris with team orders

Mercedes chief offers his opinion on the McLaren team orders discussion

Mercedes team principal 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 to be in an ideal position to take advantage of a subpar weekend for Red Bull's Max Verstappen by securing the top two spots on the starting grid for the Italian Grand Prix. However, pole-sitter Lando Norris dropped from first to third place on 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 shortly afterward, Norris was passed by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the next turn.

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

Toto Wolff commented on McLaren's decision to let their drivers compete, saying, "As a racing team now fighting at the front, you're in a tough position. On one hand, they are racers, just like us."

"Our goal is to ensure that the most qualified individual succeeds, but when the situation deteriorates and begins to negatively affect the team's performance, how should we respond to that?"

"The team consistently finds itself at a disadvantage because enforcing fixed positions and team orders goes against our racing spirit, even though the logical approach should take precedence."

"In the end, nobody wants to miss out on winning a championship by just three or five points that could have been easily gained. Balancing this is extremely challenging, and there's no one-size-fits-all solution for managing it."

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

"Nobody grasps the intricacies of sports better than Andrea Stella and Zak Brown," Wolff stated. "Andrea, in particular, has witnessed numerous events unfold firsthand during his time at Ferrari."

"He possesses the competitive spirit typical of racers, who prefer to let the race unfold naturally. However, I believe that following this race, a decision will be made regarding how we manage these situations."

"At this point, we began to outline the guidelines for engagement, but later modified the terminology to 'racing intent' since the term 'rules' seemed too strict for the drivers."

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