Toto Wolff Urges McLaren to Consider Team Orders to Boost Norris’s Title Chances

Toto Wolff Suggests McLaren Prioritize Lando Norris with Team Orders

Mercedes Chief Shares Views on McLaren's Internal Strategy Discussion

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has hinted that it might be time for McLaren to consider the challenging decision of enforcing team orders, as the Formula 1 championship battle nears its end.

McLaren seemed poised to take full advantage of a disappointing weekend for Red Bull's Max Verstappen by securing the top two spots on the starting grid at the Italian Grand Prix. However, Lando Norris, who started in pole position, dropped to third place on the opening lap following a tussle with his teammate, Oscar Piastri.

Piastri executed a daring maneuver to overtake his teammate on the outside of the Della Roggia chicane, and then Norris dropped a spot to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in the next turn.

Norris secured a third-place finish, trailing Piastri and Leclerc, and narrowed Verstappen’s lead in the championship standings to 62 points, with eight races left in the season, following Verstappen's sixth-place finish.

"Wolff expressed that being a top-contending racing team puts you in a tough spot, akin to being caught between a rock and a hard place, because, just like them, they're competitors at heart," he remarked in response to inquiries about McLaren's decision to let their drivers compete against each other.

"Our aim is to ensure the most capable candidate prevails, yet when it begins to negatively affect the cohesion and effectiveness of our team, we must consider our response to such circumstances."

"The squad consistently finds itself at a disadvantage because when you solidify roles and begin enforcing team directives, you might not be aligning with what our racing spirit desires, yet it's essential for logic to take precedence."

"In the end, the last thing you want is to miss winning a championship by a mere three or five points, points that could have been easily secured. Navigating this fine balance is extremely challenging, and there's no one-size-fits-all strategy for managing it."

Wolff mentioned that Andrea Stella, the team principal of McLaren, might need to reconsider their 'Papaya Rules' and shift from his approach driven by a "racer's spirit."

"Wolff emphasized, stating that when it comes to understanding sports, Andrea [Stella] and Zak [Brown] are unparalleled. He highlighted Andrea's extensive experience, having witnessed numerous events unfold during his tenure at Ferrari."

"He possesses the spirit of a racer who prefers to let them compete, yet it's likely that after this race, there will be some agreement on how to manage this situation."

"At this point, we began implementing guidelines for interaction, later opting to refer to them as 'racing intent' since the term 'rules' seemed too stringent for the drivers."

Discover More

Recent Updates

Recent Updates

Site Map

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

Copying or using text, photos, or illustrations in full or in part is strictly prohibited in any manner.