**”Toto Wolff Urges McLaren to Reconsider Team Orders Amidst F1 Title Race Tension”**

Toto Wolff believes McLaren ought to implement team orders to support Lando Norris.

The head of Mercedes shares his opinion on the discussion surrounding McLaren's team orders.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has indicated that McLaren may need to make a tough decision regarding team orders as the Formula 1 championship battle nears its end.

McLaren seemed poised to take full advantage of Max Verstappen's struggles at the Italian Grand Prix by securing the top two starting positions. However, Lando Norris, who started in pole position, dropped from first to third during the opening lap after a tussle with his teammate Oscar Piastri.

Piastri overtook his teammate with a daring 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. This result narrowed Verstappen's lead in the drivers' championship to 62 points with eight races left, as the Dutchman managed to only secure sixth place.

Toto Wolff explained that being a top racing team puts McLaren in a tough position. He noted that while McLaren's drivers are competitive like any other racers, the team has to carefully balance their decisions.

"We aim to ensure the most deserving person succeeds, but when competition turns harmful and affects the team's effectiveness, how should you handle that situation?"

"The team consistently ends up losing because if you lock in positions and implement team orders, you might go against the spirit of racing, but logical thinking has to take the lead."

"You don’t want to miss out on a championship by just a few points that you could have easily earned. Balancing this is extremely challenging, and there’s no one right way to manage it."

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

"Andrea Stella and Zak Brown are extremely knowledgeable about sports. Andrea, in particular, has witnessed numerous situations unfold firsthand during his time at Ferrari," Wolff stated.

"He possesses the competitive spirit that prefers not to intervene and wants to allow the racers to compete freely. However, I believe a decision will be made about this issue once the race concludes… what is our approach to this situation?"

“This is when we began to implement the guidelines for engagement and later modified the terminology to 'racing intent' because the word ‘rules’ seemed too stringent for the drivers.”

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