**Toto Wolff Urges McLaren to Reconsider Team Orders: The Lando Norris Dilemma**

Toto Wolff: McLaren ought to prioritize Lando Norris with team orders

Mercedes chief weighs in on the McLaren team orders discussion

Mercedes leader Toto Wolff has hinted that McLaren might need to make a tough decision regarding team orders as the F1 championship battle nears its end.

McLaren seemed poised to take full advantage of a subpar weekend for Red Bull's Max Verstappen by securing the top two positions on the Italian Grand Prix starting grid. However, pole-sitter Lando Norris dropped from first to third place during the opening lap following a tussle with teammate Oscar Piastri.

Piastri overtook his teammate with a bold maneuver on the outside of the Della Roggia chicane, and shortly after, Norris was overtaken by Charles Leclerc from Ferrari at the next turn.

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

When asked if he was taken aback by McLaren permitting their drivers to compete, Wolff remarked, "As a team that is now fighting among the leaders, you're in a difficult position. On one hand, they are competitors just like we are."

"We strive to ensure that the most qualified individual succeeds, but when the situation turns detrimental and affects the team's productivity, how should one respond?"

The team often finds itself losing because when you lock in positions and implement team orders, it might go against the spirit of racing that we cherish. However, we must let logic take the lead.

“In the end, you don’t want to miss out on winning a championship because of three or five points that were within your grasp. Balancing this is incredibly challenging, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to managing it.”

Wolff mentioned that McLaren's team leader, Andrea Stella, might need to re-evaluate their ‘Papaya Rules’ and reconsider his strategy that focuses heavily on the spirit of racing.

Toto Wolff commented that Andrea Stella and Zak Brown possess an unparalleled understanding of the sport. He noted that Andrea has witnessed various situations unfold firsthand while at Ferrari.

"He possesses the competitive spirit of a racer who prefers not to interfere and wants to allow them to compete freely. However, I believe a decision will be made regarding this situation after the race… what's our approach?"

"This was the point at which we began to outline the guidelines for interaction, and later altered the terminology to 'racing intent' since the term 'rules' seemed too strict for the drivers."

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