Breaking news

Formula 1

Sainz says "fired up" Seidl "impatient" to start work

Carlos Sainz says McLaren's incoming managing director Andreas Seidl has made a "very good" first impression and is "impatient" to start working at the Formula 1 team.

Scott Mitchell

Scott Mitchell

Published: Apr 23, 2019, 3:36 PM

Copy link

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share on WhatsApp

Share on Linkedin

Share on Pinterest

Share on Viber

Add as a preferred source

Andreas Seidl, Team Principal Porsche Team

McLaren has recruited the ex-Porsche LMP1 head to complete the management overhaul it hopes will lead it to the front of the F1 grid again.

Seidl will start working for McLaren on May 1 and Sainz said was left enthused by a first meeting with him last month in Bahrain, where Seidl attended the grand prix as a guest.

"I met him at the grand prix," said Sainz. "We had our first chance to say hello and have our first conversation. I was happy to meet him and I could see he was impatient to join the team, which is something I like.

"I like seeing people fired up and ready to roll so it was good fun having our first conversation. He gave me a very good impression in general. He was very switched on and he was very willing to join the team as soon as possible. He's switched on and ready to go."

Seidl's start at McLaren will follow the arrival of technical director James Key, who has finally joined the team from Toro Rosso.

Sainz worked with Key at the Red Bull junior team, and spent "quite a lot of time with him" during Key's first working weekend in Bahrain.

"And I was in the factory with him on Monday [afterwards]," he said. "[On Thursday in China] I got to spend some time with him.

"I think little by little he is just getting to know more and more of the team and we just need to give him time and he will keep that experience going. I'm very excited. I have a good relationship with James from our Toro Rosso days.

"During lunch we were playing back some memories together and it's always fun to have an old colleague come around again in a different phase of your career."

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments

Read also :

Share Or Save This Story

Copy link

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share on WhatsApp

Share on Linkedin

Share on Pinterest

Share on Viber

Previous article Virtual lap of Vietnam GP circuit revealed

Next article Williams needs to develop at "double or triple" rivals' rate

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

View More & Comment

More from

Scott Mitchell



Alfa Romeo must do better in "chaotic" races - Vasseur

Formula 1

Formula 1

Alfa Romeo must do better in "chaotic" races - Vasseur



Honda: Verstappen relationship 'like a young Senna'

Formula 1

Formula 1

Honda: Verstappen relationship 'like a young Senna'



Key team personnel shouldn't be F1 boss - Ferrari

Formula 1

Formula 1

Key team personnel shouldn't be F1 boss - Ferrari

More from

Carlos Sainz



Williams has better cooling vests than anyone – Alex Albon

Formula 1

Formula 1

Williams has better cooling vests than anyone – Alex Albon



Lewis Hamilton: Younger F1 drivers are “more and more cautious” about racing in rain

Formula 1

Formula 1

Singapore GP

Lewis Hamilton: Younger F1 drivers are “more and more cautious” about racing in rain



Sainz interview: “I always believed in McLaren… but then Ferrari called”

Formula 1

Sainz interview: “I always believed in McLaren… but then Ferrari called”

More from

McLaren



Penalty drops Oscar Piastri out of F1 Mexico GP points

Formula 1

Formula 1

Mexican GP

23 h

Penalty drops Oscar Piastri out of F1 Mexico GP points



"Two steps forward, one step back" – Oscar Piastri explains the route out of McLaren's car woes

Formula 1

Formula 1

Mexican GP

"Two steps forward, one step back" – Oscar Piastri explains the route out of McLaren's car woes



Why Oscar Piastri has struggled to show his best with this year's McLaren MCL40

Formula 1

Why Oscar Piastri has struggled to show his best with this year's McLaren MCL40

Latest news



Justin Allgaier confirms he will return for 2027 NASCAR O'Reilly season

NASCAR O'Reilly

NOAP NASCAR O'Reilly

Martinsville II

9 min

Justin Allgaier confirms he will return for 2027 NASCAR O'Reilly season



NASCAR Cup Homestead finale to feature full field of 40 cars

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Martinsville II

3 h

NASCAR Cup Homestead finale to feature full field of 40 cars



Data reveals severity of Carson Hocevar's brake-check: "There's no denying it"

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Martinsville II

4 h

Data reveals severity of Carson Hocevar's brake-check: "There's no denying it"



Honda Racing US echoes Porsche urgency over unified 2030 rules framework

IMSA

IMSA IMSA 7 h

Honda Racing US echoes Porsche urgency over unified 2030 rules framework

Feature

Discover prime content



Lewis Hamilton needs “serious talks” with himself and his team-mate

Formula 1

Mexican GP

By Stuart Codling

Lewis Hamilton needs “serious talks” with himself and his team-mate



How Ferrari's loss became Max Verstappen's gain at F1's Mexico GP

Formula 1

Mexican GP

By Jake Boxall-Legge

How Ferrari's loss became Max Verstappen's gain at F1's Mexico GP



The seven moments that defined Kimi Antonelli's F1 title win in 2026

Formula 1

Mexican GP

By Jake Boxall-Legge

The seven moments that defined Kimi Antonelli's F1 title win in 2026



Why lap times in Mexico have been so much closer to the previous F1 era

Formula 1

Mexican GP

By Stuart Codling

Why lap times in Mexico have been so much closer to the previous F1 era

Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

You have 2 options:

Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here

Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page

Manage Alerts

Subscribe