In summary: McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl is happy about how much closer his team was to Mercedes in the first race of the F1 season in 2021.
In the letter
Seidl encouraged by Bahrain’s performance
Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth and sixth respectively in Bahrain. The leading McLaren took over the flag 46 seconds after race winner Lewis Hamilton. Seidl said he was “very satisfied” with the team’s first race since switching to Mercedes.
“The hard work everyone has done over the winter has paid off,” he said. “It was great to see in relation to the gap, for example with Lewis, that I only think about 45 seconds in a race in which these guys were in a really good mood. It’s an encouraging sign because it confirms once again that we’ve made a good step forward with the car and as a team. This, as I always say, is the key to getting back to the top in a few years and fighting for victories. “
Seidl admitted, however, that the team faces stiffer competition from a revitalized Ferrari and possibly a Honda-powered AlphaTauri.
“Many of our competitors have also taken some good steps forward. So it was the expected close battle with Ferrari. AlphaTauri are difficult to judge according to Pierre [Gasly] had the problem at the beginning.
“But I’m really happy how our team and our drivers did it. Obviously, it’s the best possible start to this new season. And thanks also to our colleagues at Mercedes who have worked so hard with us over the winter to make sure we’re ready for the first race and now having the first race along with this new partnership below the belt feels easy good at. “
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That day in F1
Badoer thankfully climbed unharmed from his Forti today in Buenos Aires in 1996
- 25 years ago today, Damon Hill continued his perfect start to the season with a win in Buenos Aires. Meanwhile, Pedro Diniz was fortunate to have escaped injury when fuel leaked from his ligier after a pit stop, causing a large fire. At the beginning of the race, Luca Badoer also had an escape when Diniz turned his Forti onto the rolling tire and initiated the use of the safety car: a Renault Clio.
