Mercedes team boss, Toto Wolff, understands the challenges McLaren faces when it comes to issuing team orders. After the Monza race, McLaren faced heavy criticism for their decision to let Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris race freely. Having dealt with similar situations at Mercedes, Wolff has a piece of advice for McLaren’s team boss, Andrea Stella.
During the Monza race, McLaren found themselves in a predicament: should they let their drivers race freely or use team orders to switch Piastri and Norris’ positions? The team chose the former, resulting in Norris missing out on valuable points in his bid for the world title.
Mercedes team boss Wolff is no stranger to such situations and therefore understands the tough choices McLaren currently faces. “When you’re a racing team at the front, you suddenly find yourself between a rock and a hard place,” explains Wolff. “We (the teams) want to ensure the best wins, but when it starts to malfunction on the other side and affects your team performance, how do you respond to that?”
Striking a Balance in Team Management
“It’s therefore difficult to walk that tightrope, and there’s no universal truth about how to handle it,” continues Wolff. “In the end, you don’t want to lose a championship by three or five points that you could have easily earned.” With this last statement, the Mercedes team boss seems to be giving his colleagues a small tip.
The Racing Spirit
According to Wolff, it’s good for McLaren that team boss Andrea Stella is at the helm, as the Italian has experience with battling teammates and issuing team orders. “He has seen it all happen multiple times before his eyes at Ferrari (between 2000 and 2014),” says Wolff. “He has that racing spirit that doesn’t want to do it and wants to let them race, but I think they will come to a conclusion after this race: how are we going to handle this?”
