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Coulthard Urges McLaren to Reroute Team Orders as New Sporting Director Arrives

He says orders should come from senior leadership to preserve trust between drivers and race engineers.

Overview

  • Speaking on the Red Flags Podcast, David Coulthard criticized McLaren for having race engineers deliver 'move over' or 'hold position' instructions.
  • He argued those directives should be issued by the team principal or sporting director to protect the driver–engineer relationship.
  • At McLaren, Will Joseph and Tom Stallard typically convey team orders to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri during races.
  • McLaren has confirmed former Red Bull chief strategist Will Courtenay as its new sporting director, creating a potential channel for such messages.
  • No formal change to McLaren’s team-orders process has been announced despite continuing scrutiny of its 'papaya rules.'