Ahead of the São Paulo Grand Prix, Andreas Seidl has reminded his McLaren F1 Team to “keep our heads down and give everything we’ve got” as their intense battle for fourth in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship Constructors’ Standings with the BWT Alpine F1 Team approaches it’s conclusion.
McLaren’s impressive double points haul in Mexico City allowed the Woking-based team to reduce the gap to Alpine to seven points with just two races remaining in the season.
At Last year’s São Paulo Grand Prix, McLaren would endure a race of mixed fortunes as Daniel Ricciardo was forced to retire with just twenty laps remaining due to a power loss, while Lando Norris was able to bring home a point after starting from the third row of the grid in fifth.
Despite only taking one point from last season’s São Paulo Grand Prix, Seidl has stated that he and the team remain excited by the challenge that the Autódromo José Carlos Pace will provide across the weekend.
“The team are looking forward to the race weekend at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace. It’s an interesting track with banked corners, the famous Senna S, camber changes and undulation, so it will be great to see the new cars on track and see what overtaking opportunities arise.“
With the Sprint Weekend format returning in São Paulo, McLaren will have an extra opportunity in the Sprint to claim world championship points, a welcome opportunity for the Woking-based team as they look to claim fourth-place in the Constructors before the seasons finale in Abu Dhabi.
“It is also a Sprint weekend which adds extra excitement for the fans and the teams. It comes with some challenges that we must prepare for such as one less practice session and looking at what spares we need at the track with the increased risk of damage. However, it also provides an opportunity to pick up some vital extra points. It should provide some good entertainment for everyone watching.“
The McLaren Team Principal ended by issuing a rallying call to his team as despite the success in Mexico City, they still trail Alpine in the Constructors’ by seven points and have work ahead of them if they are to claim fourth in the Constructors’ for the second year in a row.
“As we head into the final two races of the season, and with it being a double header, we need to keep our heads down and give everything we’ve got.”