McLaren Formula 1 boss Andreas Seidl claims the impact of the restructuring at Woking will only be felt next season.

Following three tough years with Honda and a very difficult 2018 which saw the team struggling for results, CEO Zak Brown instigated a five-year plan to get the team back to the front.

Two important pieces of his puzzle were secured when James Key joined as technical director from Toro Rosso and Seidl himself took over the reins of the F1 operation.

And while results have already been improved in 2019, with McLaren fourth in the Constructors' standings after seven races, the former Porsche WEC chief explained why that isn't the full picture.

“This year’s car, which is a good step forward compared to last year’s car, has been started late after all the issues that were there within the team,” Seidl told Motorsport Week.

“I think the full extent of all the changes that have been initiated already inside the team last year we will only see next year because it’s the first car again which is somehow in the normal rhythm of the development.

“When do we normally start, I think as soon as we put the car on track in winter testing you see some strong and weak points straight away," he noted.

“That’s the first time you start thinking ‘okay what you can still develop for this year’s car’ or are there things around which we want to tackle for the year after?”

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2020 will also be the first car developed under Seidl's leadership and he is thankful that his current settling in period has coincided with McLaren enjoying stronger performances.

“We have a car that is reacting to the development that we bring to the track,” he stated.

“There’s a lot of positive momentum and positive spirit inside the team, which made it a lot easier to get started for me.

“Again it’s still early days for me, only six weeks for me so far, three weeks on the road, three at the factory, so I still need time to understand everything in the factory.”