The fight between the drivers and the FIA had reached its boiling point in the heat of Miami when Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel openly defied it.

And now McLaren’s Team Principal, Andreas Seidl, has given his thoughts on the matter. 

Seidl voices out against Lewis Hamilton

Speaking to Motorsport-Total.com, the German said that he doesn’t understand all the hype around the issue. Moreover, he says that drivers shouldn’t be driving if they aren’t willing to follow the rules. “From drivers and also from the media side. In the end, it’s a rule that has been in place for I don’t know how how many years.”

He also added, “If you have worked in other categories, it’s not even a discussion. If you don’t like to take off your jewellery or if you don’t want to put the fireproof underwear on you just don’t drive, it’s quite straightforward and simple.”

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Apart from that, Seidl also stressed that he was very happy with the new structure of the FIA. “I don’t want to make any comparisons with the past because from our point of view we were very happy with the exchange or working relationship that we also had with the earlier FIA setup,” he said. “But from my point of view, the new set-up with Niels and also with Eduardo had a very good start in this new era of Formula 1.”

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In concluding his thoughts, Andreas believes that an open dialogue between drivers including Lewis Hamilton is what is necessary to solve this issue. “And that’s exactly what we demand and what we like,” said Seidl. “That there is this open dialogue to find solutions.”

McLaren’s plan for the 2022 season 

Mclaren started its 2022 season on the back foot when it had issues with brake cooling with the MCL36. Hence Bahrain was not an ideal result. Saudi fielded better results when Lando finished within the points, albeit beaten to the line by Ocon. 

Australia proved to be a bit more successful as they finished P5 and P6; just behind the Mercedes. And in Imola, a mistake by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc meant Lando Norris scored a podium. Miami proved to be a bitter experience as a collision with Gasly; forced Lando to retire and Ricciardo finished outside the points. 

Nevertheless, McLaren understands their car better and knows what to do. Speaking to The Race, after the Australian Grand Prix, Andreas said, “I’m very happy saying that we have a clear plan in place now of what we need to do with the car in terms of making steps in terms of performance.” 

In Miami, McLaren had made changes to the front suspension and to the floor edge. As F1 goes racing in Barcelona next, a car well suited to the needs of the MCL36, no doubt the Woking outfit will be hoping to make the best of it. 

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