F1 News
Seidl highlights Alonso and Vandoorne impact on 2019 fortunes
With McLaren performing well this season it is easy to forget their form of 2018, but Andreas Seidl has picked out the job done by last year's pairing of Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne as a reason for their improved fortunes. Seidl however, is well aware of the battle the team face in the battle for best of the rest.
McLaren finished sixth in the Constructors' Championship in 2018 with 62 points with Fernando Alonso collecting 50 and Vandoorne 12. Both drivers left the series, with Alonso pursuing the Triple Crown and Vandoorne racing in the up and coming Formula E series.
Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris replaced them for the 2019 season and so far are leading the way in the best of the rest battle. At the last two races in France and Austria, both drivers have scored points, a sign of the progress they have made.
Despite their current drivers collecting the results of their improved fortunes, Seidl refused to forget the role their old lineup played in setting up this season.
"Our progress shows that many changes from last year are now paying off," Seidl told Motorsport.com.
"The team did a good job with this year's car. They understand things better through the input from our drivers from last season.
"That means we have to give a lot of credits to Fernando and Stoffel."
Seidl also admitted the aim for the rest of the season is to hold on to fourth place but is aware of the challenge the team face given the nature of the sport. He added: "Of course we want to hold on to fourth place [among the constructors] for longer, but we know that something like that can change very quickly."