McLaren had the third-fastest car in Bahrain: Andreas Seidl

McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl feels the team had the third-fastest car on the grid in Bahrain. The Woking-based team enjoyed a solid start to their Formula 1 season and currently lie third on the constructors' standings after the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Lando Norris finished the race in P4 while Daniel Ricciardo came P7 despite suffering early damage to his car. Andreas Seidl felt the team had every right to be encouraged by the result and would strive to push forward in the upcoming races.

He said:

“It was encouraging to see that if we look at Lando’s race, we had the third-best car. What was also encouraging to see was that if you look at the gap between Lando and Lewis, who had a pretty much flat-out race, it was only about 45 seconds."

Man's gotta eat 🥙💪#McLarenUnboxed | #BahrainGP

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 3, 2021

Seidl was encouraged after the team's performance in Bahrain and said that it bodes well for the future of McLaren:

“That again confirms we have made a good step forward compared to these top guys over the winter. As I have said many times, this is key to getting back to the front in the future.”

McLaren will have to fend off some strong competition: Andreas Seidl

Proud of this team and everyone at @McLarenF1 ✊ pic.twitter.com/0kaF35GRZX

— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) March 30, 2021

Seidl feels good about the team's progress and its position in the pecking order but remains cautious about McLaren's competitors. Ferrari have made significant strides since last season and had a decent outing in Bahrain where Charles Leclerc qualified ahead of the two McLarens.

Lando Norris was able to get the jump on Leclerc in the race, however, Ricciardo finished behind the Monegasque.

Therefore, Andreas Seidl is not getting carried away by his team's good showing at the Bahrain Grand Prix:

"We have to acknowledge that we have strong competition that also made good steps forward. That is the bigger picture and we need to make sure we simply don’t get carried away from that result and we keep working hard to bring more updates to the car to make sure we stay in this battle.”

While Andreas Seidl remains grounded about his team's result at the Bahrain Grand Prix, McLaren deserves a pat on the back for being at the forefront of the midfield battle. After one race in the 2021 Formula 1 season, McLaren looks like the biggest competitor to Red Bull and Mercedes, making them a prime contender for being the 'best of the rest.' However, Ferrari remains a threat to the Woking-based team, and the AlphaTauri's showed good pace too. McLaren may be leading the midfield battle for now, but complacency will open the door to multiple teams vying for their spot in the pecking order.