**Toto Wolff Urges McLaren to Rethink ‘Racers’ Soul’ Approach as F1 Title Fight Heats Up**

Toto Wolff suggests McLaren should prioritize Lando Norris through team orders

Mercedes chief shares his opinion on the McLaren team orders discussion

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has implied that McLaren needs to make a tough decision regarding the use of team orders as the F1 championship battle nears its end.

McLaren seemed poised to take full advantage of Max Verstappen's struggles during the Italian Grand Prix weekend. They secured the top two spots on the starting grid, but Lando Norris, who had pole position, dropped from first to third during the initial lap after a tussle with his teammate, Oscar Piastri.

Piastri overtook his teammate with a bold maneuver on the outer side of the Della Roggia chicane, and soon after, Norris was overtaken again by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the next turn.

Norris secured third place, trailing Piastri and Leclerc, and 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 mentioned that being a leading racing team puts you in a difficult position. He explained that, on one hand, McLaren's drivers are competitors just like their team members are.

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

The team often finds itself at a disadvantage because, when you lock in positions and issue team orders, it might not align with the spirit of racing we aim for. However, the logical approach must ultimately take precedence.

"In the end, you don’t want to miss out on winning a championship by just a few points that you could have easily gained. Balancing this is extremely challenging, and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for managing it."

Wolff suggested that Andrea Stella, the team principal of McLaren, might need to reconsider their ‘Papaya Rules’ and shift away from his current “racers’ soul” strategy.

Toto Wolff commented, "Andrea Stella and Zak Brown truly have an unparalleled grasp of the sport. Andrea has witnessed these situations unfold numerous times during his tenure at Ferrari."

"He possesses the spirit of a racer who prefers not to intervene and would rather let them compete. However, I believe a decision will be made following this race… what is our approach to managing this?"

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

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