Andreas Seidl, McLaren’s F1 team representative, admits that the McLaren MCL36 has a “fundamental problem”, but claims that the Mercedes PU is not one of them.
McLaren scored first point of the season at the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Lando Norris, who started on the 11th grid, received the checkered flag in 7th place.
At the end of two races, the Constructors’ Ranking at McLaren was 8th. Especially for McLaren, who started the first pre-season test in Barcelona at the top time, it was a difficult fight that might not be imagined.
However, revealing the hidden hands of all F1 teams, it became clear that McLaren did not have the performance to advance to Q3 in qualifying.
Andreas Seidl, McLaren’s F1 team representative, told Motorsport-Magazin.com that “the performance isn’t enough for us anyway.”
“There is no specific cause for the error. The car is working and we have a good foundation, but simply lack the grip.”
“I don’t expect miracles. It’s not that easy to reach the level of rivals. It’s time consuming and you have to be patient.”
McLaren’s 2022 trouble is consistent with engine supplier Mercedes’ trouble.
The Mercedes PU, which is also supplied to the works teams Mercedes, Aston Martin and Williams, is considered to be the main reason for the team’s low top speed at the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
However, Mercedes claims that it is only responsible for 0.1 or 0.2 seconds, not the entire 0.5 second difference from the top teams in the power unit.
Asked if Mercedes PU feels involved in the McLaren struggle, Andreas Seidl said, “We know there is a fundamental problem with the performance of our car. That’s what it is at the moment. It’s our focus. “
Andreas Saidle says he is confident that McLaren will be able to recover from the struggles of the early season.
“Development has been very good over the last three years,” said Andreas Seidl.
“For the team, the sun was shining all the time. This is a test for us to see if we can handle such a situation.”
“We are committed to getting as much performance out of the MCL36 as possible.”
“We continue with all pre-planned upgrades. This method has the potential to achieve short-term improvements. At the same time, we are conducting a major analysis of the overall aerodynamic concept.”
“We are in the early stages of the season. We still have enough budget and time in the wind tunnel for the continued development of the car. I don’t think the current problems will stop us.”
Category: Category: F1 / McLaren / Mercedes
