Coulthard: McLaren's team orders belong with the principal, not engineers

David Coulthard, a 13‑time Grand Prix winner and former McLaren driver, slammed the team for having race engineers Will Joseph and Tom Stallard deliver team‑order instructions to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. He argued that only the team principal or sporting director should give such directives, preserving the “unbreakable” driver‑engineer bond.

Why it matters:

Team orders delivered through an engineer dilute the trust that drivers need to push the car to its limit. With McLaren still recovering from the papaya‑rules controversy, clear command lines are essential to avoid on‑track confusion and maximize points.

The details:

• Coulthard said on the Red Flags podcast that the driver‑engineer link is like two soldiers in a trench.
• He stressed engineers should focus on setup, not race‑strategy commands.
• The criticism arrives as McLaren hires former Red Bull strategist Will Courteney as sporting director.

What's next:

Should Courteney take charge of team orders, race engineers will return to pure technical support, letting drivers receive clear, strategy‑level instructions from senior management. Coulthard believes this shift could tighten driver confidence and help McLaren translate speed into podiums.