McLaren is a fallen giant in Formula One. It has been 21 years since the team won a constructors’ championship. Its last drivers’ title was in 2008 , and it has not won a grand prix in seven years.

Carlos Sainz , a McLaren driver from Spain, has described the task of Andreas Seidl , the new team principal, as “like trying to maneuver a big ship.”

This season there have been signs of a recovery. McLaren is fourth in the constructors’ standings, although the gap to the team in third place, Red Bull, is 183 points.

After almost five months in charge, Seidl’s influence is being felt. “At the moment, what he has given us is the very clear direction of how he would like the team to operate, how he would like the drivers to be treated, how the drivers should treat the rest of the team,” Sainz said.