McLaren very happy with Ricciardo: "Never asked for preferential treatment"

McLaren came out of the winter break looking very strong despite an engine change. They are third in the Constructors' standings after the Bahrain Grand Prix. It is a nice step for the team from Woking, who however have higher ambitions than P3.

McLaren finished third among the constructors in 2020 after a long battle with Racing Point and Renault. In 2021, it was expected that Ferrari would return, and McLaren would struggle to hold their spot with the switch to engines from Mercedes. However, nothing could be further from the truth in Bahrain.

With a fourth and seventh place McLaren did some good business in the standings, and only have Mercedes and Red Bull Racing to beat in the standings. Andreas Seidl, however, let it be known that the team is not content with being the best of the rest.

''We have big goals. We want to close the gap with the top of Formula 1. Our goal is to get closer to Red Bull and Mercedes, so we can be on the podium if one of those two makes a mistake,'' Seidl said in the AvD Motor & Sport Magazine of Sport1.de.

Besides a new engine, McLaren also got a new driver in the ranks in 2021. Daniel Ricciardo replaced Carlos Sainz in the winter, and the Australian already seems to be right at home. For McLaren, it is also important that they have two strong drivers, and not necessarily one leader. Ricciardo, therefore, has no status as number one.

''It is important that both drivers have an equal status. We want to make sure that both drivers can carry the team on the track. Ricciardo has never asked for preferential treatment based on his performance. They are a top duo in that respect too,'' Seidl concludes.