Arrogance must not replace confidence at McLaren

Andreas Seidl says that McLaren need to make sure they strike the right balance between confidence and arrogance.

The British team are enjoying their best season in a long time this year, sitting P3 in the Constructors’ Championship with one win courtesy of Daniel Ricciardo, one pole position courtesy of Lando Norris, and multiple podiums to their name.

They haven’t enjoyed such success since the early 2010s, and Seidl says the results are giving the whole team a lot of confidence.

He says they need to make sure that doesn’t turn into arrogance though.

“It gives the team the confidence that you need in order to keep going in this direction,” said the team principal.

“Especially when it is about car development, it is about the operational side at the weekend, you need to have a certain confidence level within the team without arrogance.

“That is also very important, not getting arrogant, because you need that confidence, especially in tricky situations to pull it off as a team.

“At the same time, it is also important to not get carried away with the results we have had now. It is important to always have a realistic picture of where we are as a team. We have this realistic picture but overall I am very happy with what we can do at the moment.”

+𝟰𝟱 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀. 🤝

Incredible teamwork all weekend and a first one-two for any constructor this season. 👏 pic.twitter.com/EwBy6J7VJJ

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) September 14, 2021

Stand out from the crowd with McLaren merchandise via the official Formula 1 store

The ultimate goal of Seidl and co is to be fighting for wins and titles on a regular basis again rather than being top of the midfield pack.

He says that how this year has gone proves that they’re heading in that direction now.

“Results like Monza or the pole position first and foremost is a great reward for everyone inside the team, all the hard work everyone is putting in at the track and back home,” he said.

“These emotions you experience as a team from victories like Monza or pole positions, that is what keeps you going and keeps you going the extra mile also which is important if you want to fight these guys ahead of us.

“But it is obviously also very important to get these results as a confirmation we are heading in the right direction. It just shows that compared to last year that we have made a good step forward again with the car performance, with how we work as a team, which is important to see in terms of results because that keeps you going as a team.”

PlanetF1 Verdict

Seidl's warning against arrogance at McLaren

Andreas Seidl wants McLaren to have the right balance between confidence and arrogance.