F1 News
McLaren hope to benefit from more crashes between Max and Lewis
- GPblog.com
It is clear that the title fight is between two drivers this year. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are the guys who stand out from the rest this season, but because of that they often collide with each other and other teams are there to pick up the pieces.
The dream came true for Max Verstappen in Barcelona 2016 when he won his debut race for Red Bull. But of course that victory would never have come if that year's two title competitors, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, hadn't driven each other off the track. And that's exactly the kind of situation McLaren are looking for this season, as they are just a little short of winning races on their own.
Speaking to the German RTL McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl says he is enjoying the title race between Hamilton and Verstappen, but there is also a personal gain for his team through it: "I am also following the title race as a fan and with excitement, and maybe we can benefit from one or two incidents between the two." Although Seidl also admits that a third place in the constructors' championship is the highest achievable for his this year.
The outlook for McLaren
But with the rule changes just around the corner, will there be a chance to seriously challenge Red Bull Racing and Mercedes next year? "Difficult to say. Of course we'll do everything we can to pull as much as possible towards those two teams next year, but we can't do magic. Our wind tunnel will be ready by the end of 2022. The first car we develop in the new wind tunnel will be the 24," Seidl tempered expectations.