Toto Wolff Urges McLaren to Prioritize Team Orders for Lando Norris in F1 Title Race

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff suggests McLaren should implement team orders to support Lando Norris.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has indicated that McLaren needs to consider issuing team orders as the Formula 1 championship battle nears its end.

McLaren seemed to have an ideal chance to take advantage of a disappointing weekend for Red Bull's Max Verstappen by securing the top two spots on the Italian Grand Prix starting grid. However, Lando Norris, who started in pole position, dropped from first to third place during the first lap after battling with his teammate Oscar Piastri.

Piastri overtook his teammate with a bold maneuver on the outside of the Della Roggia chicane. Subsequently, Norris was overtaken by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at the next turn.

Norris secured third place, trailing behind Piastri and Leclerc. As a result, he reduced Verstappen's lead in the drivers' championship to 62 points with eight races left, since the Dutchman only managed to come in sixth.

When questioned about whether he was taken aback by McLaren's decision to let their drivers compete, Wolff remarked, "As a team that has suddenly found itself fighting at the front, you're in a tricky position. On one hand, they are racers just like we are."

“We aim to ensure that the most deserving individual triumphs, but when the process starts causing issues and affecting the team's effectiveness, how should one respond?”

"The team often ends up losing because when you lock in positions and implement team orders, it may go against the spirit of racing we desire, but logic must take the lead."

"In the end, nobody wants to miss winning a championship by just three or five points that were within reach. It's extremely challenging to balance this, and there's no single correct way to manage it."

Wolff suggested that McLaren's team leader Andrea Stella might need to reconsider their 'Papaya Rules' and shift from his "racer's soul" strategy.

"There is no one who comprehends the world of sports better than Andrea [Stella] and Zak [Brown]. Andrea has witnessed these scenarios unfold numerous times during his tenure at Ferrari," Wolff remarked.

"He possesses the spirit of a true racer who prefers not to interfere and wants to allow the competitors to race freely. However, I believe they will reach some sort of agreement after this race… what is our approach to managing this?"

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

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