Toto Wolff Urges McLaren to Reconsider Team Orders to Boost Norris’ Title Chances

Toto Wolff Suggests McLaren Prioritize Lando Norris with Team Orders

Mercedes Chief Shares Opinion on McLaren's Strategy Discussions

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has hinted that it might be time for McLaren to consider enacting team orders as the Formula 1 championship race nears its end.

McLaren seemed poised to take full advantage of a lackluster performance by Red Bull's Max Verstappen during the Italian Grand Prix, securing both top spots on the starting grid. However, Lando Norris, who started in pole position, dropped to third place during the first lap after a tussle with his teammate, Oscar Piastri.

Piastri executed a bold overtaking maneuver on his teammate by going around the outside at the Della Roggia chicane, and then Norris dropped a place to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the next turn.

Norris secured a third-place finish, trailing behind Piastri and Leclerc, and reduced Verstappen's lead in the championship standings to 62 points, with eight races left, following Verstappen's sixth-place finish.

Wolff expressed his viewpoint on the situation, stating, "In my opinion, when you're a racing team that finds itself unexpectedly fighting at the forefront, you're caught in a difficult position. On one hand, they are competitors just as we are," when questioned about his thoughts on McLaren permitting their drivers to compete against each other.

"Our aim is to ensure that the most qualified candidate prevails. However, when this competition begins to negatively affect the team's productivity, what measures should be taken in response?"

"The team consistently finds itself at a disadvantage due to the practice of locking in roles and issuing instructions for team conduct. While this might go against our passion for racing, it's essential that logic takes the lead."

"Ultimately, you wouldn't want to miss winning a championship by a narrow margin of three or five points, points that could have been readily secured. Thus, navigating this fine balance is extremely challenging, and there's no one-size-fits-all solution for managing it."

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

"Wolff emphasized that Andrea [Stella] and Zak [Brown] possess unparalleled insights into the sport. He noted that Andrea has witnessed numerous pivotal moments unfold during his tenure at Ferrari."

"He possesses the competitive spirit that naturally inclines him away from intervention, preferring instead to allow the competition to unfold. However, it seems likely that after this race, there will be a discussion aimed at reaching an agreement on how to manage this situation."

"At this point, we began implementing what we initially called the rules of engagement, but later opted to rename it racing intent, as we felt the term 'rules' came across as too severe for the drivers."

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