McLaren's Seidl opposes giving No.1 status to Ricciardo

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New recruit Daniel Riccardo will not be McLaren's number 1 driver next season, at least as long as Andreas Seidl is in charge.

Ricciardo will move from Renault to the Woking-based outfit at the end of the season, replacing Ferrari-bound Carlos Sainz alongside Lando Norris.

Despite the Aussie's 171-race track record and 7 wins, Ricciardo will not be given a preferred status over Norris by Seidl.

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"As long as I’m the team boss, no one at the start of the season will ever be the number one," the McLaren F1 boss told Sky F1.

"If someone has as long a road to go as we do, you need two drivers equal to each other, as we had in 2019 with Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris.

"With Lando and Daniel we have another great duo. Not only sporty but also when it comes to presenting McLaren as a brand."

Given Ricciardo and Norris' respective lighthearted personality, the pair's relationship stands a strong chance of mirroring the collusive and jocular bond enjoyed by Sainz and Norris.

But the line-up will also be an exciting one to watch, and Norris is looking forward to sharing McLaren's garage space with Ricciardo.

"Yeah, it’s gonna be a good season I think next year!" Norris told Racer. "I look forward to it.

"We’ve had a good few laughs already over the past couple of years and he’s a really nice guy — we get along well.

"We’ve still got this season — we’ve still got to start it yet but to try and finish off well between Carlos and myself and then we start looking ahead to a kind of a new start and a different challenge for next year.

"But I look forward to having Danny as a team-mate; he’s obviously a multiple race winner and of course he’s Australian, so it’s going to be good fun!"

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.