**Toto Wolff Urges McLaren to Prioritize Lando Norris in Title Fight Amid Team Orders Debate**

Toto Wolff: McLaren Might Need to Prioritize Lando Norris with Team Orders

Mercedes Chief Weighs in on McLaren's Team Orders Discussion

Mercedes head Toto Wolff believes that with the F1 championship nearing its end, McLaren now faces the tough decision of enforcing team orders.

McLaren seemed poised to take full advantage of a challenging weekend for Red Bull's Max Verstappen by securing the top two spots on the grid for the Italian Grand Prix. However, pole-sitter Lando Norris fell 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 then Norris surrendered another spot to 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 managed only a sixth-place finish.

Toto Wolff expressed that finding themselves competing at the forefront has put the racing team in a difficult position. He elaborated that, on one hand, the team and their drivers share a racing spirit, responding to a question on whether he was taken aback by McLaren permitting their drivers to compete against each other.

“Our goal is to ensure that the most qualified individual prevails, but when the situation turns chaotic and starts to negatively affect the team’s efficiency, what steps do you take in response?”

"The team consistently finds itself at a disadvantage because when you lock in positions and implement team orders, you might not align with the passionate spirit of racing, but the logical approach must take precedence."

"You definitely don’t want to miss out on winning a championship by just a few points that were within your reach. Balancing this is extremely challenging, and there's no single right way to approach it."

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

Toto Wolff commented, "Andrea Stella and Zak Brown have an unparalleled understanding of sports. Andrea, in particular, has witnessed numerous events unfold firsthand during his tenure at Ferrari."

“He possesses the spirit of a true racer who prefers not to intervene and wants to let the competitors race freely. However, I believe they will reach a decision on how to manage this situation after the race concludes.”

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

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