Team boss Andreas Seidl has warned McLaren’s first podium of the season isn’t necessarily a sign that the outfit has overcome its early season struggles.
McLaren drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris were hopelessly uncompetitive at the season-opening race in Bahrain, with Ricciardo finishing 14th and Norris 15th.
They’ve enjoyed better fortunes since then, with both cars in the points in Melbourne, and Norris finishing 3rd at Imola, albeit a long way behind race winner Max Verstappen.
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While Ferrari and Red Bull are clearly the pace-setters this season, the battle behind them is hotly contested, with a host of teams in contention.
And that’s why Seidl isn’t getting too excited just yet.
“I think from what we have seen now from Melbourne and Imola, the car is working under all kinds of conditions and also different track layouts, which is very positive,” he explained.
“But, at the same time, if you look at the field where it is very close between the Mercedes, us, Valtteri [Bottas], and Kevin [Magnussen], there’s no comfort in what we are seeing now in the last few weekends.”
As the teams prepare for this weekend’s inaugural Miami Grand Prix, Seidl conceded every team will have taken a step forward, making the challenge for McLaren even tougher.
However, he feels a top-10 spot in qualifying and the race is within reach for McLaren.
“I’m never too confident because I know that the machinery in this paddock with all teams is not standing still, but I am confident that we have a car and a package which is able at each weekend at the moment to fight for Q3 and fight for good points,” he said.
“And that goes together with a strong team and two strong drivers.
“It’s not just about lap time performance, it’s also about putting the weekends together and I give really big compliments to the team about how everyone pulled it off in Imola despite some challenges.”
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