### Toto Wolff Urges McLaren to Embrace Team Orders for Lando Norris Amid Title Chase Intensifies

Toto Wolff: McLaren Needs to Think About Prioritizing Lando Norris

Mercedes Head Shares His Thoughts on McLaren's Team Orders Controversy

Mercedes leader Toto Wolff has indicated that McLaren may now need to face the tough decision of using team orders, as the F1 championship battle nears its end.

McLaren seemed poised to take full advantage of Max Verstappen's struggles during the Italian Grand Prix weekend. They secured the top two spots on the starting grid, but Lando Norris, who began in pole position, dropped from first to third place in the opening lap following a tussle with his teammate Oscar Piastri.

Piastri overtook his teammate in a bold maneuver on the outside of the Della Roggia chicane, and shortly after, Norris was passed by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the next turn.

Norris secured third place, trailing Piastri and Leclerc, and reduced Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ championship to 62 points with eight races left, as the Dutchman finished in sixth place.

"As a team now fighting at the front, we find ourselves in a tough spot. On one hand, they are racers just like we are," Wolff commented when questioned about his thoughts on McLaren permitting their drivers to compete against each other.

"We aim to ensure that the most qualified individual succeeds, but when the situation turns chaotic and begins to affect the team's effectiveness, how should you respond?"

"The team consistently finds itself at a disadvantage because imposing fixed positions and issuing team orders goes against our racing spirit, even though it might be the more logical approach."

"You definitely don't want to miss winning a championship by just a few points that you could have secured. Balancing that act is incredibly tough, and there's no one-size-fits-all approach to doing it."

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

"There is no one who has a deeper understanding of sports than Andrea Stella and Zak Brown," Wolff stated. "Andrea has witnessed countless events unfold firsthand during his time at Ferrari."

“He possesses the competitive spirit that resists intervention and prefers to let the racers compete freely. However, I believe that once this race concludes, they will likely reach a decision on how to manage these situations moving forward… how will we approach this?"

"At this point, we began implementing guidelines for engagement, but later we revised the term to 'racing intent' because the word 'rules' seemed too strict for the drivers."

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