**”Toto Wolff Urges McLaren to Reconsider Team Orders Amid Tightening F1 Title Race”**

Toto Wolff: McLaren should prioritize Lando Norris through team orders

Mercedes head shares his opinion on the McLaren team orders discussion

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has hinted that McLaren may need to consider enforcing team orders, as the F1 championship battle nears its end.

McLaren seemed poised to take advantage of Max Verstappen's subpar weekend at the Italian Grand Prix by securing the top two grid positions. However, Lando Norris, who started in pole position, dropped to third place on the first 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. Shortly after, Norris conceded another spot to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at the next turn.

Norris secured a third-place finish, trailing Piastri and Leclerc. This result 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 being a leading racing team puts McLaren in a difficult situation. He explained that, on one hand, they are competitors just like his team. This was in response to a question about his surprise regarding McLaren's decision to let their drivers compete against each other.

"We aim to ensure that the most deserving person succeeds, but if the situation becomes counterproductive and affects the team's effectiveness, how should one respond?"

"The team often ends up losing because sticking to fixed positions and enforcing team orders may not align with our racing spirit, but the logical approach must take precedence."

"You definitely don't want to miss winning a championship by just a few points that were within your grasp. Balancing this is extremely challenging, and there's no one-size-fits-all strategy for managing it."

According to Wolff, McLaren's team principal Andrea Stella might need to reconsider their 'Papaya Rules' and distance himself from his "racer's soul" philosophy.

Toto Wolff remarked that few people grasp the intricacies of sports as well as Andrea Stella and Zak Brown. He pointed out that Andrea, in particular, has witnessed numerous situations unfold firsthand during his time 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 reached after this event… how are we managing this?"

"This was the point at which we began to establish guidelines for engagement, but then we altered the terminology to 'racing intent' since the term 'rules' seemed too strict for the drivers."

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