Andreas Seidl is confident that McLaren's poor display at the Bahrain Grand Prix was nothing more than a one-off, buoyed by the team's improved showing in Australia. Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo both finished outside the points at the season opener in Sakhir after a nightmare qualifying that saw Ricciardo exit in Q1. Since then, McLaren have seen their pace build gradually, with Norris scoring points in Jeddah before the team finished best of the rest (fifth and sixth) at Albert Park. The team still have a way to go before they can join Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari in the World Championship fight – but Seidl is feeling confident. "I think we have a package which is able to fight for top 10 positions at every race," said Seidl, speaking on the F1 Nation podcast. "I think Bahrain was just a very special race weekend for us, because we lost all the laps before when we couldn't do the test. "It's obviously not where we want to be. We want to have a more competitive package, but we are working on it. I'm confident that, with a bit of time, we will come back."
Ricciardo playing catch-up on Norris once again
Just as he did during his debut season at McLaren, Ricciardo has found himself playing catch-up to Norris during the early rounds. The young Briton has managed to build an eight-point advantage over his experienced Australian teammate. But in Australia, Ricciardo was told to hold position behind Norris as the number four car nursed power issues during the final laps. "I think the most important thing for [Ricciardo] is also to see that we are making progress," Seidl explained. "He had a good weekend as well. It was pretty much the same performance from both guys all weekend, which is what I want to have. "I need two top guys in the car to be in the fight for the Constructors' Championship positions. I think from this point of view, it's all good."
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