Andreas Seidl: fourth place remains our goal

This week, McLaren and Alpine will compete in Belgium for fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship. McLaren head Andreas Seidl believes his team has what it takes to succeed in this confrontation.

Q: Your team is in a fierce battle with Alpine for fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship. Is this what you expected?
Andreas Seidli: Yes. In fact, fourth place was and remains the goal for this season. If we achieve this result, the season can be considered a success, as the team will reach the intermediate goal on its way to the top.

At the moment, compared to the leading teams, as well as Alpine, we do not have a developed infrastructure. We know what needs to be improved, but it doesn’t happen overnight, but step by step, as planned.

The car is not stable enough for the current season. However, it is important that we have a plan and a great team that will get us back to fourth place at the end of the year. But I have to admit – I’m not completely happy with the first half of the season.

Question: why?
Andreas Seidli: The start of the season proved difficult and we lacked stability. In Formula 1, you always have to take two steps forward to make up for even minor shortcomings. For example, in the first stage we suddenly had problems with the brakes and we had to solve this problem first. The fact that Daniel Ricciardo practically missed tests because of Covid-19 didn’t help either. However, these are all excuses.

It is important how the team has reacted to the problems. We did not give up and continued to work. The result was a podium in the fourth stage in Imola. In addition, we were very strong in Monaco and even performed at Mercedes level in qualifying.

Q: Why is it so hard to build a car that is fast on any type of track?
Andreas Seidli: The job is always to make sure the car was fast and in Monaco, and in Silverstone, and in general on every other track. But this is what still sets us apart from the leading teams. Red Bull and Ferrari cars are fast everywhere – that’s why we are inferior to them. But I try to look at everything positively and use all the experience gained effectively. Even minor setbacks can be helpful.

Q: Can you give an example?
Andreas SeidliA: This year we took a small step back. For three years the sun shone brightly in front of us, and now suddenly clouds are approaching. However, I see the current situation as a test to evaluate our work over the past few years. How far has the team progressed? This is an important question, and I have to say I’m happy with the answer. I am satisfied with the team and our attitude to problems. We have chosen the right path and are now following it consistently.

We have great ambition and will to win, but for now we need to be patient and keep working on further corrective steps to finally reach our goal and become a leading team.

We treat the current problems as an obstacle to overcome on the way to the top. I believe that our belief in a systematic approach is important not only in Formula 1, but also in every other area where management and leadership are important. Formula 1 is a very difficult sport. We are talking about merging 700 employees into one unit, and that takes time.

Q: How much does your experience in BMW and Porsche help you?
Andreas Seidli: I’ve been lucky enough to work with so many great people at BMW and Porsche because I learned a lot from them. Fortunately, I have always had bosses who supported me and gave me a lot of freedom. At BMW, for example, Mario Theissen trusted me and allowed me to do as I saw fit.

Pleasure at work is important to achieve maximum productivity. Why should there be anything different in Formula 1? Despite all the manufacturability and the enormous money, in Formula 1 it is the people that matter.

It’s just like in football: a team can become the best if all employees, not just racers or football players, wake up motivated in the morning and see their contribution as very important to the overall success of the team.