© Finn Pomeroy for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix ltd.
Toto Wolff says Mercedes “only learned from our experiences how we manage a situation where two drivers can win in the same team”.
The Hungarian Grand Prix had many controversial moments, but possibly the biggest controversy came from McLaren’s team orders aimed at restoring their drivers’ positions after they have been switched through their final pit stops.
Oscar Piastri has been leading most of the race, with Lando Norris following him in P2, but then McLaren decided to pit Norris first, allowing him to undercut Piastri.
This was done to protect Norris’ P2, however, after Piastri’s final pit stop, the Briton was now in the lead.
McLaren then asked Norris to let Piastri through, so that they can restore their previous order, but he waited until the final three laps of the race to finally obey the order.
In the meantime his race engineer was doing his best to convince him to do what the team has requested, which led to very tense exchanges.
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Now, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, who has a lot of experience in managing two team-mates engaged in battle between themselves (Lewis Hamilon and Nico Rosberg from 2014 until 2016), gives his perspective on McLaren’s predicament.
“I think you can only manage situations when you eventually run into it,” Wolff said.
“You find yourself exposed. That’s the first time that it happened to them. We only learned from our experiences how we manage a situation where two drivers can win in the same team.
“And you like to collect the points without giving up the drivers’ championship. I’m sure they’re going to sit down and come up with what we came up with back in the day – the first ‘Rules of Engagement’ [document defining the rules of battle between team-mates].
“We didn’t want to call it ‘Rules’ anymore, we said ‘Racing Intent’.
“I have no doubt that Andrea [Stella, McLaren Team Principal] and Zak [Brown, McLaren CEO] have very strong leadership.
“It’s about defining that framework – what’s happening in each of those possible situations.”
Toto then compared McLaren’s situation to the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix, where on the last lap of the race Lewis Hamilton gave P3 back to Valtteri Bottas, after the Finn let him through earlier, so that he can try to attack the drivers ahead.
“Remember in Hungary we had the same situation with Hamilton and Bottas. We stood to our values.
“Although Lewis at that stage was in a championship, we did it. And I think this is what McLaren decided to do today. To do the right thing.
“Obviously, now they discuss with the drivers and what they do going forward,” the Austrian concluded.
