F1 Racing - UK (2020-01)

RACING

AWARDS 2019

HOW YOU VOTED

McLaren 71.8%

Red Bull 17.5%

Ferrari 6.3%

Mercedes 1.6%

Toro Rosso 0.8%

IMPROVED TEAM

OF THE YEAR

McLaren

F1 RACING JANUARY 2020 93

Right from the first racein Australia, McLaren

was beginningto show an upturn inform.

In Bahrain theteam had two cars in Q3for

the first time since 2017. By the time the

championship had reached the south of France

in the summer, two McLarens started in the

top sixfor the first time in five years.

That achievement was significant because

it represented a further advance in the car’s

pace from when it appeared at a similar

configuration trackto Paul Ricard – Barcelona

in May. During the eight-week period between

those races newteam principal Andreas Seidl,

previously head ofPorsche’sWorld Endurance

Championship programme, arrived and began

to draw up plansfor the future.

While the MCL34 was theteam’s first

decently competitive car in several seasons,

it still wasn’t a race-winner. Once hisfeet were

under the desk Seidl made changes within the

organisationto eliminate poor practices and set

in motion his strategyto help McLaren complete

its journey backto the front of the field.

Along with the arrival of newtechnical director

JamesKey, Seidl’s first engineeringgoal wasto

secure approval from the boardto redevelop the

windtunnelat theteam’sWoking headquarters.

The second wasto bid farewellto Renault and

rekindle a relationship withMercedes, in a deal

to have the Stuttgart manufacturer return as

power unit supplier from 2021 onwards.

While theteam had aneye on the future, it

continuedto makeadvances during theseason.

In Brazil CarlosSainz scored hisfirst F1 podium

(and McLaren’s first since 2014)after starting

from the back of the gridfollowing an engine

problem.Fourth in the constructors’ title race is

the team’s best resultfor sevenyears.

“It’sveryflatteringto recei ve

thisandallcredit to themenand

women atMcL aren,at thefactory

andtheracingteam.It’scertainly

beenamuchbetteryearthanlast

year. Ourresultsshowwe’veearned

this awardandthegoalnowisto

winthecaroftheyear award.”

ZakBrown

PICTURES

:STEVEN TEE

;STEVE ETHERINGTON

;PA

UL RIPKE