McLaren and Ferrari are two of the most successful teams in Formula 1 history, winning 24 constructors’ championships between them, Ferrari winning two-third of it. In the drivers’ title standings, the fight is closer, with Ferrari 15 to McLaren’s 12.
And this year it’s not just the Red Bull versus Mercedes battle that has got F1 fans talking after the Bahrain Grand Prix, but Ferrari’s resurgence too. McLaren Team Principal Andreas Seidl said he’s relishing a fight for midfield supremacy against the Scuderia this season.
McLaren may be sitting pretty in third in the championship with 18 points from Bahrain, but right on their tails are the crimson Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz – who finished sixth and eighth respectively on Sunday.
“Definitely with everything I’ve seen at the [pre-season] test and also here on Friday and Saturday and today, shows that Ferrari have made a big step forward compared to last year, which is not unexpected,” said the McLaren Team Principal after the first round of the 2021 Formula One season.
There had been a question mark over Scuderia Ferrari’s pace in the lead-up to 2021, as the Maranello team struggled last season as a combination of high drag and low top speed on the SF1000 car saw them finish down in sixth in the 2020 championship.
But Andreas Seidl admits that he always expected the Italian side to bounce back.
“We said we never underestimated the ability of a team like Ferrari with all their history and all their resources and experience to come back quickly, so it’s no surprise, and they have two great drivers as well,” he said.
“[We’re] simply looking forward to battle with Ferrari again this year, how they play out. It’s simply too early to say but yeah, definitely looking forward to battling this great team,” – the McLaren boss added.
Scuderia Ferrari head home for the next race as Imola hosts the second round of the 2021 World Championship, in a contest set-up superbly by Sakhir’s season-opening event.
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