Seidl: “I didn't expect the team to make such a leap”

A little fresh air for McLaren. After many years marked by places at the back of the grid and repeated technical incidents, the British team seems to have found the magic formula to regain a form of competitiveness. Surely an essential ingredient in this “potion”: Andreas Seidl. Arrived from Porsche in LM P1 for the British team last May, the German has probably brought a breath of fresh air to the stable boxes. 

And this translates onto the track: McLaren is 4th in the Constructors' Championship after the 2019 British Grand Prix, with 60 points, or 21 points more than its own engine manufacturer, Renault. A very pleasant situation for Andreas Seidl, who himself says he is impressed by the meteoric progress of his team: “I didn't expect the team to make such a leap forward. Let's not forget that we were the 9th force in the field in Abu Dhabi last year. But as the races progressed, it appeared that we had a car which oscillated between the 4th strength of the field and the 6th,” he points out.

P6 finish and a solid attempt at becoming @F1 karaoke champion 2019. Good weekend all round for @ Carlossainz55.pic.twitter.com/OIQ7NfzzyP

- McLaren (@ McLarenF1) July 15, 2019

Andreas Seidl also returned to the strategy approached in the race for Carlos Sainz Jr and Lando Norris. If the first one did very well (started 13th, arrived 6th), the second had a slightly more difficult race, with an 11th place under the checkered flag: “Carlos got off to an excellent start and overtook both Alfa Romeo. The Safety Car came out at the perfect time for him and he was able to maintain his track position and switch to a one-stop strategy. […] The strategy did not work for Lando because the tire degradation of our competitors was not as marked. » 

For the McLaren Racing director, the two young drivers have played their role very well so far: “If we combine the performances of Carlos and Lando, their excellent starts, the good strategies of the team, and the progress of the car, then we can understand all the points scored”, before adding that the team is indeed on a positive dynamic: “We have to continue to make improvements, continue to execute races well, and deepen our understanding of the car. »

Discover the analysis of the British GP carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2225 of AUTOhebdo, available now in digital version on all platforms and on newsstands.