McLaren needs to be "realistic" about true F1 pace - Seidl
McLaren says it must remain "realistic" about its true potential in Formula 1, despite battling with Mercedes at last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Lando Norris qualified on the front row at the Red Bull Ring and ran ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the early stages of the race.
After Hamilton was delayed by damage, Norris retook the reigning champion to finish third, only dropping behind Valtteri Bottas because of a five-second penalty for forcing Sergio Perez off the track.
PLUS: How Norris and McLaren finally took on F1’s top teams “on merit”
But despite delivering its strongest weekend in overall pace terms, team principal Andreas Seidl is very cautious about thinking it can target repeat performances everywhere.
He stressed that while updates to the McLaren MCL35M did improve its pace, the long straights and high speed corners at the Red Bull Ring played in favour of the car's characteristics.
“I think we need to be realistic, it was a track that suits our car” explained Seidl.
“What was good to see is that I think, compared to last weekend, with the developments and with the fine-tuning we did with the set-up as well, we definitely made a step forward in terms of performance, both in qualifying and in the race.
“That allowed us to be in a position today to battle some of the top cars.
“But I don’t know exactly which issues for example Mercedes had or Lewis had, which gave us a chance to then score a podium purely down to our own performance, which is great.”
Andreas Seidl celebrates with Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo after 2021 Austrian GP
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Seidl has said before the race that realistically McLaren’s best hope was a fifth place finish, as the team believed it did not have the speed to expect to beat Mercedes and Red Bull on pure performance.
He is clear that Austria flattered the McLaren pace, and it simply cannot expect to repeat it everywhere.
“There’s no point to see things that aren’t there,” he said.
“You need to be realistic and, if you see the race for example last weekend and we’re here at the same track one weekend later, then we had no chance to battle these four cars. There was a huge gap.
“So we knew that we would have a better car compared to last weekend, but we couldn’t expect that we could actually fight them like that.
“At the same time, we don’t know which problems they experienced: especially Mercedes.
“We know exactly where we stand as a team, we know what the deficit is. We know what the deficit also still is at the team’s side in terms of infrastructure and so on. So it’s not a surprise that we are where we are.
“We are on a journey. We have a clear plan of how we want to reduce this deficit and that takes some years, but the good thing is we make steps.
“We’re ambitious, but there is no magic and I simply think it’s always good to have a sense of realism, and not get carried away with results like Austria, which are great and give good energy to the team.
“But it doesn’t change the picture, the realistic picture we have in terms of where we are."
Related video
Austrian Grand Prix Driver Ratings
Formula 1's repeat visit to the Red Bull Ring offered a repeat winner, but there were several notable changes to the Styrian Grand Prix resulting from cooler temperatures and softer tyre compounds. Amid the shakeup in the order, there were several performances worthy of high ratings
How Norris and McLaren finally took on F1’s top teams “on merit”
Max Verstappen was rarely troubled in the Austrian Grand Prix as he completed a clean sweep of Formula 1's two races at the Red Bull Ring. He leaves with his points advantage extended thanks in no small part to the disruption caused to Mercedes by an on-form Lando Norris, in perhaps the most complete McLaren showing since the V8 era
The inconvenient truth behind F1’s anti-plastic stance
Single-use plastics have become a pressing environmental issue, and Formula 1 has committed to removing them from the paddock by 2025. But behind these headline initiatives, says STUART CODLING, the commercial rights holder and several teams continue to operate partnerships with some of the world’s largest producers of the raw materials that make these plastic items
How the cost cap is putting new pressures on F1's top teams
Formula 1’s budget cap means that even the richest teams now have to juggle what they can afford to spend – to the extent that Mercedes recently had to back out of an important tyre test. MARK GALLAGHER explains how the bean-counters now have to work to the limits of the regulations just like technical directors do
Why Mercedes isn't fooled it's ahead of Red Bull despite Austrian GP practice pace
After a comprehensive defeat to Red Bull and Max Verstappen in Austria last weekend, Mercedes remains wary of taking its promising pace as a guarantee for success. But with lessons learned from the Styrian GP, the Black Arrows squad continues to be poised for another almighty tussle against its familiar foe
Why '5/10' Ricciardo isn't giving up on his McLaren quest
Daniel Ricciardo has endured a tough start to his McLaren career. He's been comprehensively outscored by his team-mate so far, and with each passing race the explanations of his struggles can increasingly be seen as excuses. But while admitting that his on-track performances don’t merit a particularly flattering mark, Ricciardo is convinced that he will make a success of the move
Why F1’s secret rulebook is causing angst among the ranks
With competition on the track increasing as the 2021 Formula 1 season intensifies, any possible advantage is being aggressively fought over. This includes off the track, as F1's rules and regulations come under scrutiny which, for multiple reasons, is causing unease up and down the grid
The crucial improvements Russell needs to reproduce to soothe Styrian GP DNF "hurt"
Having been cruelly denied a long-awaited first points finish as a Williams driver at the Styrian GP, George Russell gets another crack at it this weekend at the Red Bull Ring. While his impressive pace remains unquestioned, a few other vital gains shown at recent races will be needed again to finally deliver
