Seidl a fan of Norris and Sainz’s aggression on-track

McLaren Formula 1 chief Andreas Seidl is happy with the aggressive on-track approach shown by both Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris through the 2019 season.

McLaren ran an all-new line-up comprising Sainz and Norris for 2019, with the pair lifting the team to fourth place in the constructors’ championship.

Sainz also scored McLaren’s first podium finish since 2014 at the Brazilian Grand Prix, charging from the back of the grid to finish the race third thanks to a number of on-track passes.

Discussing the aggression shown by his drivers, McLaren boss Seidl was full of praise for their approach.

“It’s great to see what racecraft Carlos has. For both drivers, I like how aggressive they always are,” Seidl said.

“They are nice guys outside of the cars, which is great for the team. [It] helps us to have a great spirit inside the team and helps push us forward.

“But I like how aggressive they are when it comes to race starts, the first race laps, and also how decisive they are when it comes to overtaking moves you have to make in order to get the results in.

“What Carlos has done the last races and also [in Abu Dhabi] just confirms that he’s the right guy for us also in the future.”

Norris and Sainz were closely matched throughout the season, reflected in the 11-10 qualifying head-to-head result in favour of Norris, but the pair rarely came to blows on-track.

The only run-in came at the Chinese Grand Prix when Sainz and Norris made contact on the first lap, something Seidl said there were “different views” on afterwards, as well as noting it was prior to his formal arrival at the team.