McLaren may have recaptured their throne from Ferrari by putting up a stellar show in their rival’s own den at Monza; Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris secured a 1-2 finish and subsequently garnering a record-breaking 45 points out of the weekend as well.
And as of now, McLaren are 13.5 points ahead of the Maranello outfit. But, how long can they keep themselves ahead of Ferrari?
Well, not for long! McLaren’s boss, Andreas Seidl revealed concerning news for the fans, with the season inching to a closure. The development surrounding this year’s MCL35 has officially ended. Hence, the team will no longer be bringing in any sort of updates to the car.
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What did Seidl say?
In an exclusive interview with RTL, Seidl revealed that McLaren are going to have to fight with what is available until the finale in Abu Dhabi.
“There is no further development of this year’s car,” he affirmed. Hence, considering how the scenario is unfolding, Seidl is certain that McLaren’s fight for P3 with Ferrari will go down the wire.
“It was just important for us to make a lot of points – also compared to Ferrari. We want to fight for third place in the constructors’ championship until the last race. It will be a very close fight with Ferrari,” the German added.
Of course, this news wouldn’t have been a big deal under normal circumstances. But, contrasting to McLaren, their rivals are anticipating a major engine evolution update in coming weeks, which could prove to be a serious blow to McLaren.
Ferrari vs McLaren: Who will finish ahead?
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The good news for McLaren is that Ferrari are yet to decide on the engine update arrival. Hence, the British outfit will look to capitalize on the next couple of race weekends to the fullest; Sochi and Istanbul Park will be highly crucial for McLaren amidst the pursuit of P3 in the constructor’s championship.
If McLaren do fail to gain enough points against Ferrari, then, it might become a tad tough for the former to defend against the latter, heading into the United States.
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So, will Norris and Ricciardo pull off another set of strong finishes in Russia and Turkey to hand themselves a strong point difference to defend?
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