F1
### Toto Wolff Urges McLaren to Rethink Team Orders Amid Title Battle
Toto Wolff suggests McLaren should prioritize Lando Norris with team orders
The head of Mercedes shares his opinion on the discussion around McLaren's team strategies
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has indicated that McLaren may 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 Max Verstappen's difficult weekend for Red Bull by securing the top two spots on the grid for the Italian Grand Prix. However, pole-sitter Lando Norris slipped from first to third during the opening lap after 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 lost another spot to 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.
When questioned about whether he was taken aback by McLaren permitting their drivers to compete against each other, Wolff commented, "As a team now fighting at the forefront, you find yourself in a difficult position. On one hand, their drivers are racers just like ours."
"Our goal is to ensure that the most deserving individual succeeds, but if the situation starts to hinder team performance and becomes problematic, how should we respond?"
"The team frequently ends up losing because when you lock in positions and implement team orders, it may not align with our racing spirit. However, the logical approach must take priority."
"In the end, you don't want to miss winning a championship by a small margin, like three or five points, that you could have easily secured. Balancing this is extremely challenging, and there's no one-size-fits-all approach to managing it."
Wolff suggested that McLaren's team boss, Andrea Stella, might need to reconsider their ‘Papaya Rules’ and shift from his current “racer's soul” strategy.
Toto Wolff commented that Andrea Stella and Zak Brown have an unparalleled understanding of sports. He noted that Andrea, in particular, has witnessed many events unfold firsthand during his time at Ferrari.
“He possesses the spirit of a true racer, someone who hesitates to interfere and prefers to let the competitors race freely. However, I believe there will be some resolution on the approach to this matter following the conclusion of this race… What is our plan for managing this situation?”
"This is when we began to implement guidelines for engagement, and then we altered the terminology to 'racing intent' because 'rules' sounded too strict for the drivers."
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