McLaren leaving 'nothing to chance' in championship

Andreas Seidl has warned that McLaren are not yet secure in their fourth position in the constructors’ championship, saying the team will “leave nothing to chance” in their attempts to finish ‘best of the rest’ in 2019.

Ahead of the current campaign, Renault were the team tipped to close the gap to the elite trio of Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull. Instead, McLaren have been hugely impressive, with Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris striking up one of the best partnerships on the grid.

With four races to go, they are 34 points clear of the French outfit in the rankings, and Seidl says they can’t afford to slip up.

"As we head into these final few races, our focus remains on maximising the opportunities to score points through work at the track and back at the factory," said the McLaren team principal.

"Our position in the Constructors' Championship is not yet secured and we must keep pushing to ensure we leave nothing to chance. It's still all to play for and I look forward to some exciting racing."

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Sainz has driven particularly well in 2019 and is sixth in the drivers’ championship after his fifth-place finish at the Japanese GP. He knows he has a fight on his hands to keep it though, with Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon circling in behind.

"Jumping to sixth position in the Drivers' Championship after another strong weekend in Suzuka is encouraging and it only adds up to our motivation to keep pushing until the end of the year," the Spaniard said.

"It won't be easy to keep that position but I'll fight for it with everything we've got. We also took another important step in the Constructors' Championship, but we need to keep focused."

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