Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsMcLaren

Vandoorne ‘definitely’ feels ready for F1

Stoffel Vandoorne says he “definitely” feels ready to step up to F1 following a recent test with McLaren.

The Belgian driver took part in the in-season test in Austria, his first taste of the MP4-30 having been the first driver to sample the Honda power unit in Abu Dhabi at the end of last season. Currently holding a commanding lead in the GP2 championship, Vandoorne has been linked with a move in to F1 next season - potentially replacing Jenson Button at McLaren - and he says he feels fully prepared to make the step up.

“Yeah, definitely I do feel ready for Formula One,” Vandoorne said. “I’ve been testing a Formula One car last year with McLaren and that went very well. I’m now in my second season of GP2 and that’s going very well as well.

“I drove the car in Austria and that went very smoothly; unfortunately it rained in the morning so we lost a bit of track time but I think the afternoon was a very decent session for us without any troubles, so I do feel ready for Formula One.”

Fellow McLaren young driver Kevin Magnussen - who spoke highly of Vandoorne last month - is a rival for Button’s seat but Vandoorne says there are a number of talented drivers he feels he is competing againts.

“Obviously I do have a lot of respect for Kevin as well, I’ve raced with him in 2013 in World Series so I think we do know each other’s potential and each other’s capabilities. F1 is a competitive sport and I don’t think only Kevin would be a rival for a Formula One seat next year.

“There’s other competitors around there, I race other people in GP2 as well that could be a potential challenge for a Formula One seat. Kevin is one of the good guys as well, I know him from the past and I’ve raced against him.”

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.