McLaren: Two quick drivers ‘key’ to F1 resurgence
McLaren Formula 1 team principal Andreas Seidl acknowledged that having two closely matched drivers is key to the team's recent resurgence, which fuelled the decision to snap up Daniel Ricciardo for 2021.

After a rough patch, McLaren worked its way back up the grid under team boss Seidl and technical director James Key. Drivers Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz proved to be a competitive pairing, ultimately handing McLaren third place in the 2020 championship.
With Sainz leaving McLaren to join Ferrari, the Woking team moved quickly to snap up Ricciardo from Renault as his replacement for 2021.
Ricciardo and Norris were closely matched in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, starting sixth and seventh on the grid respectively, before grabbing a combined 18 points for the team on Sunday, which meant McLaren vaulted back up to third in the constructors' championship.
Seidl explained it was key to McLaren's resurgence - and its fight against teams with intrinsically quicker cars - to have two drivers capable of fighting at the front of F1's stacked midfield to secure a consistent haul of points. It is also the reason why the team took on Ricciardo.
"As you can imagine it was obviously important for me that when we made the decision to go for Daniel that we simply made sure for the team that we have again also from this year onwards, a very strong driver line-up," Seidl explained after Bahrain qualifying.
"Because key in the last two years for securing these positions we could secure in the constructors' championship was that we always had two drivers who were there and always ready to score good points.
"I'm really happy with what we have seen so far from both guys. It's great that we again seem to have a very strong driver line-up. We managed to get through both cars [in] Q3, both guys always very close together."

Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
During the Bahrain race Ricciardo dropped from sixth to seventh with a damaged floor after being struck by AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly on the opening lap.
Norris climbed from seventh to fourth in one of his best F1 drives so far, which according to Seidl was proof that the young Briton "has made the next step" as a driver.
Commenting on the performance of his team after F1's season-opener, Seidl added that he was "very happy with what the team pulled off this weekend, because I think again the hard work everyone has put in over winter was paying off."
Seidl was particularly encouraged to see Ricciardo and Norris get to within nine tenths of Max Verstappen's pole time, a margin three tenths smaller than the team managed in qualifying for the 2020 race.
"The gap we had to pole position was smaller compared to what we could do last time we have been here in Bahrain, which is again an encouraging sign that we're making a step as a team with the car towards the front and that we are heading in the right direction," Seidl said.
Read Also:
Related video

Previous article
F1 sprint race plan set for green light as teams agree finances
Next article
Juan Pablo Montoya: Sprint races are the way forward for Formula One

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Teams | McLaren |
Author | Filip Cleeren |
McLaren: Two quick drivers ‘key’ to F1 resurgence
How 2021's midfielders have taken lessons from F1's top teams
Formula 1’s latest Imola adventure turned into an expensive trip for many teams due to several crashes throughout the weekend. While balancing the books is an added factor in 2021 with the cost cap, a few midfield teams have cashed in early on development investments.
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Driver Ratings
A frantic wet race at Imola produced plenty of excitement and drama as drivers scrabbled for grip. Amid the hatful of mistakes and incidents that ensued, who kept their noses cleanest?
How the Emilia Romagna GP result hinged on three crucial saves
Rain before the start of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix promised to spice up the action, and the race certainly delivered on that. Max Verstappen got the best launch to win from Lewis Hamilton, but both got away with mistakes that could have had serious consequences
The back-bedroom world-beater that began a new F1 era
The first in a line of world beaters was designed in a back bedroom and then constructed in a shed. STUART CODLING recalls the Tyrrell 001
Why Mercedes isn't confident it's really ahead of Red Bull at Imola
While Mercedes struck back against Red Bull by topping the times at Imola on Friday ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the overall picture remains incredibly close. Despite having a possible edge this weekend, the reigning Formula 1 world champion squad is not taking anything for granted...
What Mercedes must do to keep its F1 title challenge on track
Mercedes may find itself leading the drivers' and constructors' standings after Lewis Hamilton's victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix, but it is well aware that it came against the odds, with Red Bull clearly ahead. Here's what the Brackley team must do to avoid its crown slipping .
The double whammy that is defining Vettel’s F1 fate
It's been a tough start to Sebastian Vettel's Aston Martin F1 career, with a lack of pre-season testing mileage followed by an incident-packed Bahrain GP. But two key underlying factors mean a turnaround is no guarantee.
The themes to watch in F1's Imola return
Three weeks is a long time in Formula 1, but in the reshaped start to the 2021 season the teams head to Imola to pick things up after the frenetic Bahrain opener. Here's what to look out for and the developments to follow at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix