Andreas Seidl says the McLaren F1 Team are ready to get the 2021 season underway after the release of their new challenger, the MCL35M, on Monday.
Seidl, the Team Principal at the Woking-based outfit, oversaw the team’s best season for years in 2020, with Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris helping the team finish third in the Constructors’ Championship.
Sainz may have left to join Scuderia Ferrari, but McLaren have hired Daniel Ricciardo as his replacement, and he is sure both drivers will thrive and perform at the highest level in the MCL35M.
“All of us at McLaren are ready and determined for another season of intensely competitive Formula 1 racing,” said Seidl. “The entire team has worked hard over the short winter, together with our colleagues from Mercedes-AMG, to produce the MCL35M and provide a strong car for our drivers to race this year.
“This has been no small challenge, and I want to thank every member of our team, whether at the MTC or working remotely, for the massive effort they’ve put in. Lando and Daniel will, I know, do their very best to represent the team out on track.”
Seidl says he is proud to see how Norris has developed since joining McLaren back in 2017, and after finishing on the podium in the Austrian Grand Prix last year, he sees the Briton making another step forward in 2021.
He also believes the arrival of Ricciardo from the Renault DP World F1 Team (now Alpine F1 Team) is a validation of the kind of progress McLaren has shown in recent years, and Seidl believes the team has one of the ‘most competitive’ partnerships on the grid.
“We’re all extremely pleased by how Lando has developed from test and development driver in 2017, to Britain’s youngest podium finisher in 2020,” said Seidl. “His passion and experience for the sport are growing hand-in-hand, and he’s now one of the fastest and most exciting racing drivers on the grid.
“Daniel represents our next step as a team and his decision to join McLaren is a validation of the progress we’re making. As a proven race-winner and formidable competitor, Daniel brings energy and experience to push McLaren forward on our mission to the front of the field.
“Together, Lando and Daniel comprise one of the most competitive driver line-ups in the sport. With these two behind the wheel of the MCL35M, we know we’ll have a team that gives total commitment in the pursuit of on-track performance as we head into the 2021 season.”
