Kevin Magnussen believes fellow McLaren protégé Stoffel Vandoorne “deserves to get to Formula One”, as the Belgian stars in this year’s GP2 Series with three Feature Race wins in as many rounds.
Magnussen made his F1 debut in 2014 after beating Vandoorne to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series title the previous year. The Dane secured a podium finish on his maiden Grand Prix but ended up taking a year off following McLaren-Honda’s hiring of Fernando Alonso over the winter.
The Spaniard’s pre-season crash led to Magnussen racing in Australia, but the 22-year-old has since been confined to the sidelines and watched Vandoorne shine under the eyes of the F1 paddock.
While he admits the ART driver should be given a shot at F1, Magnussen remains unfazed at the prospect of Vandoorne potentially by-passing him to secure a race seat.
“Stoffel is doing a really good job,” he said during a McLaren phone-in. “He deserves to get to Formula One. There's something wrong if he doesn't get to F1.
“But everyone is a threat when you are competing for a Formula One seat. What can you do about it? I’ve just got to focus on myself and not really worry about anyone else because I can’t do anything about it.
“I’m not racing so I can't beat him on track. I’ll just have to rely on my experience. I’ve done well in Formula One. I've been on the podium, and McLaren believes in me. They know what I can do and what my potential is.”
Click here for a more light-hearted take on the Monaco Grand Prix.
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