Seidl ‘very happy’ with McLaren 2022 development

Henry Valantine
McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl. Abu Dhabi December 2021.

Andreas Seidl looks off-camera while wearing a McLaren mask. Abu Dhabi December 2021.

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl is pleased with the progress of the team’s 2022 car, but he admitted there is “absolutely no reference” to relative pace just yet.

The majority of teams fully switched their focus to the radically different 2022 challengers early last season, given the seismic regulation changes now taking effect in Formula 1.

Drivers have described the different challenges brought by the new machinery, which has a radically different aerodynamic set-up and a basic design built with the intention of allowing closer racing.

Teams have been working hard behind the scenes to get their cars ready, but McLaren team boss Seidl admitted to Formel1.de that it’s difficult to know exactly where the team stands “because you have absolutely no reference,” he said, as quoted by Motorsport-Total.

“Nevertheless, you naturally try to set yourself ambitious but also realistic goals as a team.”

The new car is constantly being developed in the hope of the teams hitting the ground running in 2022, and Seidl said the new McLaren is showing itself to be happy to adapt to what is being added to it.

“From my point of view, I am very happy with the development I see at the moment. The car is responding to the developments,” he said.

“We are really making progress week by week in the wind tunnel. We won’t really see how much it will be worth in the end until the first qualifying session in Bahrain next year.

“For me, the most important thing is simply that the development of this car is again a step forward compared to the developments in recent years.”

McLaren have changed the way they have operated in recent seasons, with internal structural changes coupled with a combined financial boost to the tune of £550million, according to CEO Zak Brown.

Those factors brought together have led to a better working environment at the team, and Seidl is “convinced” McLaren have the right people in to bring themselves back to the top table of Formula 1.

 

“We really did a major reset in the team more than two years ago in terms of organisation and structure,” Seidl explained.

“I am absolutely convinced that we have all the talent on board that we need to take the next steps. Now we simply need time, we have to work together on a daily basis, we have to learn together from things that may not have gone ideally and grow from that.”

 

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