F1
Toto Wolff Urges McLaren to Consider Team Orders Favoring Lando Norris as F1 Title Race Heats Up
Toto Wolff believes McLaren should prioritize Lando Norris through team orders
The head of Mercedes 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 a subpar performance by Red Bull's Max Verstappen during the Italian Grand Prix. They secured the top two spots on the starting grid. However, Lando Norris, who started in pole position, 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 around the outside of the Della Roggia chicane, and then Norris dropped another spot to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the next turn.
Norris secured third place, trailing behind Piastri and Leclerc, and reduced Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ championship to 62 points. This came after Verstappen managed to finish only in sixth place, with eight races left in the season.
Toto Wolff commented on McLaren's decision to let their drivers compete against each other, saying, "As a team now fighting at the front, McLaren faces a tough situation. On one hand, they are racers just like us."
"Our goal is to ensure that the most deserving person succeeds, but when the situation turns problematic and affects the team's performance, how should you respond?"
The team consistently faces defeats because when you lock in positions and implement team orders, it may not align with our racing spirit, but the logical approach must dominate.
"In the end, you don't want to miss out on winning a championship by just a small margin of three or five points that could have been easily gained. Navigating this fine line is very challenging, and there isn't a 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 “racers’ soul” strategy.
"I'm telling you, no one has a better grasp of sports than Andrea Stella and Zak Brown. Andrea, in particular, has witnessed everything unfold firsthand many times during his tenure at Ferrari," Wolff remarked.
"He possesses the spirit of a true racer who prefers not to interfere and wants to let the competitors race freely, but I believe they will reach a decision on how to manage this after the race concludes… how are we addressing this?"
"This is the point at which we began to implement guidelines for engagement, and later we adjusted the terminology to 'racing intent' because the term 'rules' sounded too strict for the drivers."
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