McLaren won't sacrifice 2020

If it has not yet become the scarecrow of the 80s and 90s again, McLaren continued its recovery in 2019, with an MCL34 entrusted to Lando Norris et Carlos Sainz which brought the Woking structure to fourth place in the Manufacturers' ranking, the best of the others behind the untouchable trio since the advent of hybrid Power Units, namely Mercedes, Ferrari et Red Bull.

For the last campaign of the current single-seaters, before the technical upheaval expected in 2021, McLaren intends to build on this encouraging season. “The rules don't change much, so the goal should be to continue to improve gradually, indicates executive director Zak Brown in a question and answer on the team's website.

Let's keep our heads down. We still have a lot of work to do. We started last season more than 1” from pole position and by the end of the year the gap was only eight tenths. This is still a big gap that we need to bridge. »

In view of this challenge for 2020, the progress of work on the car MCL35 semble ravir Andreas Seidl. L’ancien homme fort de Porsche Motorsport a clairement apposé sa griffe depuis sa prise de fonctions cette année.

“I am very satisfied with the progress I am seeing at the factory regarding preparations for the 2020 season, analyzes the Team Principal. I think we have a very good understanding of the weaknesses of the 34 MCL2019 and it's great to see how the whole team is working very hard to improve.

I am optimistic about taking the next step: further reducing the lap time deficit against the top three teams. »

Seidl, on the other hand, prefers not to get excited after the progress seen in 2019. Progress can also be attributed to a serious internal reorganization, the latest movements of which have placed Andrea Stella as competition manager.

“It’s a real adventure and you can feel a great dynamic in the team, continues the German. Our approach as a united team and the commitment we have from shareholders means I am optimistic of succeeding again, but you need to be realistic about what is achievable year on year.

We are not going to sacrifice 2020. We want to have another good season because it is important for the development of the team to have continuous improvement. »

Remember that McLaren will swap its engine block Renault against a Mercedes in 2021. Another sign of hope for a return to the top in Woking?