McLaren not getting 'carried away' in 'close' battle with Alpine for P4 despite great result at Singapore GP - Andreas Seidl

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl is not getting carried away despite a strong weekend in Singapore.

The team is involved in an intense battle with Alpine for P4 in the constructor championship. At Singapore, while Alpine had a disastrous race with a double DNF, McLaren scored 22 points - with Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo finishing fourth and fifth respectively.

Seidl was happy with his team's performance but said that McLaren should not get carried away, as the momentum has swung both ways this season. He said:

"Well, if you look at how the races went since France, I think it was going backwards and forwards. Alpine obviously had a great weekend in Spa, where we had a lot of issues. And on the other hand, we had the opportunity to do the same today while they had issues. So, I think it's simply an open battle. I think it's very close together in terms of performance as well."

The McLaren boss stressed on the importance of not getting carried away with a single result and said:

"We don't get carried away with the result from today. We know that the battle we're in against the Alpines in the constructors' championship is a very tough one, and that's why we are fully aware that this battle might go on until the last lap in Abu Dhabi."

Seidl said that he's confident in the battle with Alpine, as the two McLarens are working well and so are his drivers at this stage of the season. He said:

"I think we have a solid car; I think we have a great team back home and here at the track, and we have two great drivers. And that means we have everything it needs in order to keep this battle alive until the last lap in Abu Dhabi, and that's what we will try. I'm happy about the 22 points, but at the same time, I have a realistic view on today's result."

Following their rich haul in Singapore, McLaren have leapfrogged Alpine (125) to fourth place in the constructor championship.

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Mimicking George Russell's strategy would have been unnecessary - McLaren

McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo was in the same part of the field where Mercedes' George Russell gambled for slicks early in the race.

Seidl said that McLaren were keeping a close eye on Russell who had pitted early for slicks but thought better than following suit. He said:

"The team did a great job on the pit wall together with good communication with the drivers to find the right balance between trying to achieve a great result but at the same time being patient and not taking unnecessary risks."

He added:

"Obviously, it was good to watch what George was doing after he switched early to the medium tyres, and it was clear to a certain point that it would just have meant an unnecessary risk to switch too early."

McLaren and Alpine have swapped the P4 position multiple times this season. It will be interesting to see which team eventually finishes fourth ahead of the Japanese GP this weekend.