**Toto Wolff Urges McLaren to Rethink Team Orders as F1 Title Race Intensifies**

Toto Wolff suggests McLaren should prioritize Lando Norris through team orders

Mercedes head comments on McLaren's internal team orders discussion

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has hinted that McLaren needs to consider making 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 challenging weekend by securing the top two spots on the Italian Grand Prix starting grid. However, despite Lando Norris starting in pole position, he dropped to third place after the initial lap due to a tussle with teammate Oscar Piastri.

Piastri overtook his teammate with a bold move on the outside of the Della Roggia chicane, and then Norris was passed 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 Dutch driver managed only a sixth-place finish.

Wolff commented on the situation, saying, "When a racing team unexpectedly finds itself competing at the front, it's a difficult position. On one hand, the team and drivers are naturally competitive." He made these remarks in response to a question about whether he was surprised by McLaren letting their drivers compete against each other.

“We aim to ensure that the most deserving person prevails, but when the situation turns chaotic and affects the team’s effectiveness, what steps should be taken in response?”

"The team frequently ends up losing because when you lock in positions and start issuing team orders, it may not align with the spirit of racing we thrive on, but the logical approach must take precedence."

"In the end, you don't want to miss winning 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 boss, Andrea Stella, might need to reconsider their 'Papaya Rules' and shift from his "racer's soul" strategy.

"There is no one who comprehends sports better than Andrea Stella and Zak Brown," Wolff remarked. "Andrea has witnessed everything unfold firsthand numerous times during his tenure at Ferrari."

“He possesses the competitive spirit typical of racers who prefer to let the competition unfold naturally. However, I believe a decision will be made regarding our approach after this race… what is our strategy for managing this?”

"At this point, we began implementing guidelines for interaction, but we opted to use the term 'racing intent' instead because 'rules' seemed too strict for the drivers."

Explore Further

Recent Updates

Recent Updates

Site Map

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

It is prohibited to reproduce the text, photos, or illustrations, either completely or partially, in any manner.