McLaren F1 Team Principal Andreas Seidl is confident the team and its drivers Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris, will hit the ground running in Austria as the Formula One season resumes this weekend at the Red Bull Ring.
The championship was cancelled back in March as the 2020 season got underway at Albert Park, Melbourne, due to the global Covid-19 outbreak. McLaren had already withdrawn from the Australian race after a team member had tested positive for the Coronavirus.
Seidl said ahead of the weekend, “It’s been a long wait, but we’re finally ready to get the 2020 season underway. I know that the fans, our drivers and our team have been waiting a long time for this moment and are all excited and hungry to get out there again.
“This temporary break in our sport has only made us more motivated to fight again. We’re looking forward to getting back to racing and going for the competition as hard as we can.”
During lockdown, the Woking outfit has been busy behind the scenes, working hard to update and develop the car in the extended break to help them with the back to back races. The drivers have been training hard whilst taking up online simulator racing and taking part in karting and Formula 3 test sessions.
“Our preparation for Austria has been a balance between building enough parts to get through an intense period of races and updating and developing the car,” added Seidl.
“The team is back up and running again, whether at home or in the factory, and we’re working hard to keep improving the car however we can.
“Two races in Austria presents an interesting new challenge for us. We were strong there last year but, with the uncertainty caused by the delayed start to the season, we will need to be operating at 100% to maximise our performances in both races. I know the whole team, Lando and Carlos are all excited by this challenge and we’ve been working hard to make sure we hit the ground running in Austria.”
