"We always provide both drivers equal opportunities" – McLaren boss claims team doesn't have a number one driver

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl has stated the team does not have a designated number one driver and both Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo are treated as equals.

Seidl made the comments in light of Norris being recently handed a long-term contract extension. During the launch of the new MCL36, the German said:

“If you are after, ‘Is McLaren having a number one driver?’, for example, definitely not. My job is to go with the team. To make sure we always provide both drivers equal opportunities to do well on track and then battle it out on track.”

Seidl also went on to say that agreeing on an extension with Norris was the natural thing to do for the team. He went on to add, saying:

“Of course, with Lando now being with the team since 2017, going into his fourth racing season now with us, showing last year that – with the right team and with the right car, in his third year in Formula 1 – he can score pole positions and he can fight for race wins. It was just natural for us, that we obviously try to lock him in as long as possible here at McLaren, because, the most important thing is that we are fully aligned also with the timelines in terms of the journey we are in. And therefore, we’re very happy to know that we have Lando [for] four more years as a driver, which is the most important thing obviously. We know he can pull it off when it matters.”

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McLaren not expecting to challenge top teams in 2022, claims CEO Zak Brown

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has confessed he doesn't expect his team to be challenging at the top of the grid for championships in 2022.

Feeling that they are still playing catch up, Brown made the comments during an interview with Gulf Business, where he said:

“Of course, we’re going to give it everything we’ve got but we still have a couple of years of technical catch-up that we just can’t accelerate any further or faster than we are. We still have technical infrastructure that we’re catching up on, most notably our wind tunnel. I’m not going into next year [2022] thinking we’re going to be a championship contender.”

The Woking-based team finished 2021 in P4 in the constructors' world championship standings with 275 points to their name.

Despite his comments, reports indicate Brown and Co. have been 'cautiously optimistic' about their chances in 2022.