'Best start to winter test in many, many years for McLaren'

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl was very happy with proceedings in the first week of winter testing in Barcelona, saying it was "by far" the best start to a winter test the side has made in "many, many years".

The Woking-based team rounded the Circuit de Catalunya well over 400 times across all three days of testing in Montserrat near Barcelona. Only Mercedes, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and Alfa Romeo beat McLaren's lap count.

With no red flags caused or any significant mechanical issues discovered, it was plain sailing for Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris, who logged 237 and 186 laps respectively.

While McLaren's 2019 testing weeks in Barcelona also proved fruitful ahead of their break-out season, Seidl thinks the first week of this year's winter testing has been simply better.

"If you look at the number of laps and into the reliability we have shown so far, it’s by far the best start [in] many, many years for McLaren in a winter test," the former Porsche man explained after Friday's running.

"That’s a great reward for everyone in the team, and proof that the hard work done over the winter is paying off."

McLaren have yet to show the muscle of the MCL35, with Sainz's quickest lap of the week being over two seconds off the pace from timesheet-topping Valtteri Bottas. This should change next week however, Seidl has teased.

"It’s great to see this momentum we are having," the German continued.

"We’ll come back next Wednesday and keep working on our preparation for Melbourne and extracting more performance from the MCL35."