McLaren acknowledged that it is currently striving to be the fourth team on the grid in 2022, but explained that the order of strength can also change depending on the track and other factors, such as tire strategy
McLaren seems well aware of where it stands in the 2022 Formula One season. With 59 points, the team from Woking is fourth, 75 points behind Mercedes, and boss Andreas Seidl acknowledged that, at the moment, the fight is to contain the advance of Alfa Romeo and Alpine to remain in the position until the end of the year.
McLaren's start of the season was quite irregular, but the team has achieved consistent results, especially with Lando Norris, owner of 48 of the 59 points. The #4 car even climbed the podium in Emilia-Romagna, but Seidl is quite realistic when talking about the team's intentions for 2022.
"I wouldn't say we are totally comfortable, because we face strong competition, strong drivers and strong cars, so the hierarchy can change depending on the track, different conditions, tire type," the McLaren boss explained to The Race website. "Our goal is clear: we want to fight for fourth place in the Constructors' World Championship. We have everything in the team, together with Lando and Daniel [Ricciardo], to achieve this," he stressed.
To meet this goal, however, McLaren understands that it needs to seek improvements so that both Norris and Ricciardo can defeat their private duel against the Alfa Romeo and Alpine duos. The former is 18 points behind the British team, while the Enstone-based team is 19 points behind.
"We know that the race is not going to stand still, so we have to make sure that we continue with the development of the car. But of course, seeing the pace we had in Barcelona and Monaco is encouraging," Seidl continued. "We took a good step in Barcelona and fixed some weaknesses that the car had. But several teams did the same," the German pointed out.
Speaking specifically about updates for the MCL36, the Englishman's boss explained that while there are no significant changes for the Azerbaijan and Canada GPs, which take place in sequence, there are always updates and adjustments according to track characteristics.
"In terms of updates, I believe we will take a package to these next races. There are always tweaks and small updates in sight. Baku, obviously, and Montreal are different tracks, so it's hard to predict because of that. We've seen big changes in the order of strength between the teams this year, so I'm cautious about making predictions," added Seidl.
Finally, the British boss explained that although Baku is also a street circuit like Monaco, the venue for the last round of the calendar, the configuration required is totally different from that used in Monte Carlo. However, there is one similarity.
"The long straight has the highest top speed on the calendar and requires a reduced downforce setup, which is rare for a street circuit. What remains the same is that you are punished for any mistake. This brings challenges and opportunities, and I'm sure it will provide an exciting race," Seidl concluded.