It is the year of the resurrection of the traditional British teams.

Williams ranks in the points, McLaren wins races again.

The second oldest racing team in Formula 1 celebrated its first victory in nine years in Monza, the first in a double pack since Canada 2010. Another milestone on the way back to the top has been ticked off.

In 2017, the low point was reached with ninth place in the constructors' championship. Then McLaren CEO Zak Brown ignited the rebuilding of the dinosaur. Former Porsche race director Andreas Seidl has been helping him since 2019. So far it has only been uphill. Ninth, sixth, fourth, third in the brand rating since 2017.

Under the old bosses, McLaren had developed into a sedate ministry that lived in old structures and in the past. Brown brought fresh people on board, broke up the old ropes and found a man in Seidl who gave the eight-time constructors' world champion lean management with short distances, motivation and looseness. In his first official act, the 45-year-old from Passau abolished the matrix organization, which had been the measure of all things 20 years earlier under Ron Dennis. The team suddenly had faces again. "Everyone here should feel that we appreciate their work, that their contribution is important." The stiff tone in the factory fell. Successes are celebrated.

All 700 employees were on their feet when Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris returned from Monza. Under Dennis, emotions were a sign of weakness. Norris replied: “Success comes through joy.” The team boss agrees: “We want to enjoy these moments. That keeps the team hungry. ”Seidl can't beat third place from last year, even losing it to the Ferrari team, which has also been strengthened, but with five podium places and the 183rd Grand Prix victory, McLaren has taken another step out of oblivion did. Fourth place would not be a big deal. More importantly, McLaren was able to further reduce the gap to Mercedes and Red Bull.

On certain racetracks you drive sometimes with one, sometimes with the other, in Monza with both of them at eye level. It was not a given victory, emphasized winner Daniel Ricciardo. The McLaren MCL35M-Mercedes is the most efficient car on the straights, excellent in fast corners, stable on the brakes. "The strength is also our weakness," warns Seidl. “We're not that good on all tracks, in all conditions and with all types of tires. But we have to be if we ever want to take on Mercedes and Red Bull on a regular basis. ”One weekend before, McLaren experienced the opposite of Monza. Only one point was taken from Zandvoort. Tracks that require maximum downforce are Ferrari's territory. The Sochi Autodrom, where the Russian Grand Prix will take place on Sunday (2 p.m. in the FAZ-Liveticker for Formula 1 as well as Sky) fits more into the profile of the McLaren.

Almost everything is in place for the future attack on the world title. Finances have been settled since the factory was sold for £ 180 million and investors from the US, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain bought in for just under £ 600 million. The partnership with Mercedes guarantees the best customer engine in the field. The budget cap hits McLaren less hard than Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull. The technical restart in 2022 is reshuffling the cards for everyone. The modernization of the simulator and the construction of the wind tunnel will be completed in the course of the next year. "Then we will be at the same level as the big ones in terms of infrastructure," Seidl hopes.

And with Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris, McLaren has the perfect mix in the cockpit. Along with Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and George Russell, Norris is considered to be the world champion of tomorrow. Ricciardo was supposed to take on the role of the experienced team captain, but Norris pulled his tooth in every practice and every race. Ricciardo struggled with his car, which felt very different than his Renault from the years before. “Somehow the McLaren didn't harmonize with my natural driving style. Either how I turn into corners on the brakes or how I step on the gas. The car didn't respond as I was used to. As a first step, I tried to understand why my driving style didn't work in all corners. In the second I tried to acquire new techniques.This adjustment was the most difficult for me in recent years. "

Despite the victory in Monza, Seidl warns against premature optimism.

“Things have been going better for Daniel since the summer break.

The next races will have to show whether he's completely out of the woods.

It is important for us that he completes this process by the end of the year so that we have the Daniel Ricciardo in 2022, whom we promised ourselves with his commitment. ”Ricciardo believes that he has done everything right.

“Right from the start, I was impressed by the care with which they work at McLaren.

You really check off everything that needs to be checked off.

Perhaps because they have made such good progress and now they no longer want to jeopardize this positive trend.

I get an answer to every question. "