**”Toto Wolff Urges McLaren to Prioritize Team Orders for Lando Norris Amid Tightening F1 Title Race”**

Toto Wolff: McLaren might need to prioritize Lando Norris through team orders

Mercedes chief comments on McLaren's internal team orders discussion

Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes, has indicated that McLaren may need to make tough decisions regarding team orders as the F1 championship battle nears its end.

McLaren seemed to have an ideal chance to take advantage of Max Verstappen's subpar weekend for Red Bull by securing the top two spots on the grid for the Italian Grand Prix. 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 maneuvered past his teammate with a bold overtake on the outside of the Della Roggia chicane. Shortly after, Norris surrendered another spot to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the next turn.

Norris secured third place, trailing behind Piastri and Leclerc, while reducing Verstappen's lead in the drivers' championship to 62 points. With eight races left in the season, Verstappen could only manage to finish in sixth place.

When asked if he was surprised that McLaren let their drivers compete against each other, Wolff explained that leading a racing team presents a tough challenge. "On one hand, they are racers just like we are," he said.

"Our goal is to ensure the most qualified individual succeeds, but when things start to become chaotic and negatively affect the team's performance, what steps do you take to address it?"

The team frequently ends up losing because, when you lock in positions and implement team orders, it might go against the spirit of racing that we cherish. However, the logical approach needs to take precedence.

“In the end, missing out on a championship by just a few points—points you could have easily earned—can be really frustrating. Balancing this challenge is incredibly tough, and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for managing it.”

Wolff mentioned that McLaren team boss Andrea Stella might need to reconsider their ‘Papaya Rules’ and distance himself from his “racer’s heart” strategy.

Toto Wolff commented, "Andrea Stella and Zak Brown are incredibly knowledgeable about sports. Andrea, in particular, has witnessed numerous events unfold firsthand during his time at Ferrari."

“He possesses the competitive spirit of a racer who prefers to allow the race to unfold naturally. However, I believe that after this race, they'll reach a decision on how to manage this situation… What steps are we taking?”

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

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