Norris Ricciardo 'leadership' pivotal to McLaren recovery

Andreas Seidl has praised the "leadership" of both Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo as McLaren's drivers look to steer the team in a more positive direction.

In the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, McLaren struggled for pace, with Norris and Ricciardo spending the majority of the 57 laps at the back of the pack.

A week later in Saudi Arabia, there were small shoots of a recovery as the Briton and Australian qualified 11th and 12th respectively, with Norris going on to finish seventh, while Ricciardo retired.

Norris and Ricciardo have at least refused to let their heads drop with team principal Seidl revealing how the pair have attempted to 'keep things positive' within the outfit.

"I was really very happy to see, despite the disappointment for Lando and Daniel, and they deserve a better car from us, how they are dealing with the situation," said Seidl.

"They kept the positivity up throughout the weekend in Bahrain. They understand it is not just about driving the car, it is also about showing leadership, especially in these situations, together with me as well.

“It is our responsibility now that we lead the team back to where we want to be, back to where we have to be. As I said before, I am confident we will come back.”

Seidl, though, has refused to put an exact timescale on McLaren's recovery.

“As you know, these cars are complex and it is not easy to make something happen from one day to tomorrow," added Seidl.

“But again, I am very pleased to see the reaction of the team back home. Everyone is working flat out day and night in engineering, in production in order to get us back on track.

“I am very happy to see how everyone is dealing with the situation and it is important to stay positive. We know we can do it.”

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