Seidl: “Be careful not to get too excited”

McLaren had a brilliant weekend last week at the French GP by bringing both MCL34s into the points, Carlos Sainz Jr taking 6th place while Lando Norris saved a 10th position despite his mechanical problems.

Team principal Andreas Seidl welcomes this doubtful result Renault even if he is aware that the situation could quickly be reversed.

“The hierarchy of qualifications was not really representative because Verstappen (Red Bull) probably had several tenths in his pocket, a souligné l’ancienne tête pensante de Porsche. The race was closer to reality. This kind of weekend is the best thing that can happen to a team. This gives you the energy and momentum to keep progressing. »

“You have to be careful not to get too excited, said Andreas Seidl. We have seen since the start of the season that certain tracks suit us more than others. On certain races, Alfa Romeo was in front, then it was Racing Point, then Renault. But it is in any case a relief to see that the intense efforts made by the engineers have borne fruit. We are progressing with the car and other developments will come. It was the first weekend where we clearly appeared as the fourth force in the field, we were previously between 5th and 7th place. The hierarchy may change from one weekend to the next. »

Andreas Seidl also had to manage the internal rivalry between Carlos Sainz Jr and Lando Norris who followed each other for almost the entire race. The team had to contain the rookie's enthusiasm in order to prevent the race from turning into tragedy.

“We have clear rules in these kinds of situations, specified the director of McLaren F1. It's important to play as a team and our two drivers were managing their tires. We just asked Carlos to increase the pace to ensure that there was enough gap between Lando and his pursuers. We ask the drivers their feelings to know if they can go faster because this is information that the engineers need to decide. Our strategists did a great job. »

Discover the analysis of the French GP carried out by our special correspondents in AUTO issue 2222hebdo, available now in digital version on all platforms and on newsstands.