Despite jumping on the other side of the protest bandwagon, McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl revealed that there was no animosity between the Woking outfit and Mercedes. Seidl clarified that McLaren’s issue was only with Racing Point and not its soon to be engine supplier.
McLaren opting to appeal against the FIA’s verdict does make things awkward between the British team and Mercedes. From 2021, McLaren will be switching to Mercedes’s power from Renault.
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We have a great relationship anyway with Toto: Mclaren boss Seidl
“[There is] absolutely no bad blood between us and Mercedes,”
“We have a great relationship anyway with Toto, with Mercedes, with the guys from Brixworth preparing for next year.
“In the end, the case which is on at the minute, is with Racing Point and not Mercedes.”
In a rare public statement, Racing Point owner Lawrence Stroll hit out at teams that firmly stand against the Silverstone outfit. Stroll revealed that he was “appalled” to see teams like Ferrari and McLaren appeal against Racing Point.
“I don’t want to comment on any of these comments,” said Seidl, when asked to respond to Stroll’s passionate defence on Racing Point.
“[We’re] part of a legal process. I don’t want to comment further on it.
“And at the same time, it’s important to not waste too much energy on the entire case. We know what we have to do on the McLaren side to be more competitive, and that is my main focus, together with the team.”
Having a future customer team stand on the other side of the fence is weird but is a glimpse of how F1 works. Consider Red Bull and Mercedes. The two teams are fierce rivals on the track but joined forces to seek clarification on Ferrari’s secret settlement with the FIA.
Simultaneously, Red Bull lodged a protest against its temporary ally’s steering trick! Ultimately, F1 is a funny sport where bonds are forged and broken according to teams’ best interests.
The ongoing protest and its aftermath are unlikely to resolve anytime soon. But for now, the Formula 1 circus heads to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix on August 16.
Source: Motorsport.com
