Seidl expecting a hard fight for fourth in 2020

When Andreas Seidl arrived at McLaren not many would have predicted the turn in fortunes the team enjoyed. However, the man himself expects a battle to hold onto best of the rest in 2020.

After a challenging period for McLaren, they wiped the slate clean in 2019 with a new driver line-up of Carlos Sainz and rookie Lando Norris replacing Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne. Seidl joined the team on May 1st and they went on to comfortably finish fourth in the Constructors' Championship, exceeding the expectations on them. 

One thing to look out for in 2020 will be whether McLaren can hold onto this place, something Seidl expects to battle for but will target weaknesses for improvement.

“We have to keep up the positive run we have made this year,” Seidl told Auto Motor und Sport. 

“We also want to take a step forward in 2020, not in terms of position. I still expect a hard fight for 4th place again. That is the maximum that is currently possible in Formula 1 given the current strength and budget. 

“We still see enough weak spots in the team that we have to work on. So we have to show that we are developing in these areas and that is exactly why it is important to have a good 2020 season. 

“It is clear to me that a balancing act awaits us in the current year, from when we flick the switch fully to 2021. Logically, this will happen earlier than usual.”