McLaren sees chances because of title race: 'The gap to the top is smaller'

The entire F1 public is enjoying the battle for the drivers and constructors title this season, but there is plenty more going on as well. There is also a fierce battle for the third spot in the constructors' standings between Ferrari and McLaren.

Last year McLaren were far and away quicker than the Scuderia, but this season, the teams are evenly matched. Similar to the title battle between Mercedes and Red Bull Racing, every point is vital for McLaren and Ferrari as the entire midfield is close together. Team boss Andreas Seidl will be hoping McLaren can extend their tiny 3.5 point advantage.

Great season with success for McLaren

"We want to keep up this fight with Ferrari for as long as possible. Until this moment we have had a great season and achieved a lot. We have been able to take another step forward in the performance of the car. If you look at the average difference in lap time with Red Bull and Mercedes, it is smaller than last year," Seidl explained at Motorsport-Total.com.

Other teams have also made leaps and bounds, which has meant they're involved in a title battle, but this season they are the only team other than Red Bull and Mercedes to have both a pole position and a victory to their name - in Russia and Italy respectively.

Fighting through to the last metres

Still, Ferrari are lurking and the team from Woking cannot lose focus. "Despite all our progress, we have to accept that it's no surprise that a team like Ferrari is fighting their way back to where they belong. As a result, we now have an intense battle for third place this season, whereas last year it was no battle at all," Seidl concluded.