F1
**”Toto Wolff Urges McLaren to Prioritize Lando Norris with Team Orders Amid Intensifying F1 Title Race”**
Toto Wolff believes McLaren should prioritize Lando Norris through team orders.
The head of Mercedes shares his opinion on McLaren's team orders discussion.
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has indicated that McLaren may need to consider enforcing team orders as the F1 championship battle nears its end.
McLaren seemed poised to make the most of a challenging weekend for Red Bull's Max Verstappen by securing the top two spots on the Italian Grand Prix starting grid. However, pole position holder Lando Norris slipped 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 lost another spot to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the next turn.
Norris secured a third-place finish, trailing behind Piastri and Leclerc, while reducing 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 against each other, saying, "As a team now fighting at the front, they face a tough situation. On one hand, they are racers just like us."
"We aim to ensure the most deserving person succeeds, but if it begins to cause dysfunction and affects the team’s performance, how should we respond?"
"The team consistently ends up losing because when you lock in positions and implement team orders, it might go against our racing spirit. However, the logical approach must take priority."
In the end, nobody wants to miss out on a championship by just a few points that could have been easily gained. Balancing this is extremely challenging, and there is no single correct way to approach it.
Wolff mentioned that McLaren's team leader, Andrea Stella, might need to reassess their 'Papaya Rules' and shift from his current "racers' soul" strategy.
"There’s no one who comprehends the world of sports better than Andrea Stella and Zak Brown," Wolff stated. "Andrea has witnessed these situations unfold numerous times during his tenure at Ferrari."
"He possesses the spirit of a true racer who prefers to let the competitors race freely, but I believe a decision will be made after this event… what will be our approach?"
"This was the point at which we began implementing engagement guidelines, eventually rephrasing it to 'racing intent' since the term 'rules' seemed too strict for the drivers."
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