Seidl praises team's "patient" strategy after McLaren's biggest points haul this year

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl praised the team’s strategy after they took their biggest points haul from a grand prix this year.

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Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo took fourth and fifth in the Singapore Grand Prix, moving the team past Alpine in the fight for fourth place in the championship.

Seidl said he was “mega happy” with their result after Norris and Ricciardo started sixth and 16th respectively.

“The team did an excellent job together with both drivers in very tricky conditions in order to maximise the result,” he said. “The team on the pit wall together with good communication with the drivers found the right balance between trying to achieve a great result, but at the same time being patient and not take any unnecessary risks.”

McLaren avoided the temptation to switch from intermediate tyres to slicks before the track had dried sufficiently, said Seidl. George Russell spent many laps struggling on slicks while the track was still damp.

“The most important thing today was, and I have to say that it was really well handled by Andrea Stella as our race director, together with the entire team, to make sure that the good result which was on our table today, seeing where we were in the first stint, to not get impatient and suddenly try to take unnecessary risk.

“Obviously it was good to watch what George was doing after he switched so early to the medium tyres and it was clear after a certain point that it would just have meant an unnecessary risk to switch too early. That in the end I think locked in the position that Daniel was in anyway and of course, then on Daniel’s side we benefited from I think the Virtual Safety Car and by staying out long.”

Seidl said he was particularly pleased for Ricciardo, who will leave the team at the end of the year, and scored his best result of the season in Singapore.

“What a drive from both drivers, I have to say, as well. It was very tricky, we have seen many drivers go long or go into the barriers and both Lando and Daniel didn’t hit anything today, showed that they are two world-class drivers and that helped us to score a very important result for our battle in the constructors championship.

“I’m very happy obviously for Daniel as well, and everyone who works on Daniel’s car, to finally achieve such a great result, great recovery from starting in P16 to get to P5 which is well-deserved looking at all the commitment and all the work that went in from Daniel and his crew throughout the year. So, I’m very happy.”

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7 comments on “Seidl praises team’s “patient” strategy after McLaren’s biggest points haul this year”

Jere (@jerejj)
3rd October 2022, 15:54

This double points-finish could prove crucial for finishing 4th in the WCC, although Alpine is only four points behind, so their order can change back-&-forth until the end.
1. Esploratore (@esploratore1)
  3rd October 2022, 22:39
  
  Yes, it’s not only the result but ricciardo somehow seems to have regained some confidence, he had a decent race both here and at monza, so if they actually have 2 drivers now they have decent chances to beat alpine.
  1. Mooa42
    4th October 2022, 1:13
    
    Ricciardo did manage to stay on track and got a couple of overtakes at the start, but if you look at his lap times he was miles off Lando’s pace, except for the final stint when he was on softs. Usually that sort of pace difference would have seen him 12th or 13th. Still a good outcome but I agree with @dbradock, every chance they’ll return to normal in Japan.
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
4th October 2022, 0:36

I think they really should acknowledge that they just happened to have some really good luck rather than skill in all honesty.

Some weekends things just fall in your favour and this was one of them. Good on them for maximising their good fortune but I expect that they’ll be back to “normal” next race.
1. frood19 (@frood19)
  4th October 2022, 6:59
  
  In conditions like that you get what you deserve by keeping it on the track for 2 hours. Plenty of hotter heads did not, so I think luck is only a small part of it.
  1. Avro Anson (@avroanson)
    4th October 2022, 9:21
    
    I agree. People have criticised Ricciardo’s pace, but he maintained a six second advantage to the following car (Stroll) through the last part of the race. And he kept his car on track when many more highly rated drivers couldn’t keep out of the wall. He followed a safe strategy to maximise the points for his team.
2. hyoko
  4th October 2022, 16:33
  
  Exactly, they stayed out a little longer and got the jackpot with the second SC