Vandoorne delighted with 'positive weekend' and first point

©McLaren

McLaren-Honda's Stoffel Vandoorne collected his first championship point of the year following a P10 finish in Hungary which left the Belgian very satisfied.

After a productive qualifying session on Saturday, both McLaren drivers had points in their line of sight on a track better suited to the MCL32-Honda's qualities.

The 25-year-old was briefly held up by a first-lap melee behind Daniel Ricciardo's spinning Red Bull, but recovered quickly to run inside the top 10.

"It’s been quite a positive weekend for me – we came here expecting to be competitive and we were able to run inside the top 10 for the whole weekend," said Vandoorne.

The Belgian's progress in the race was slightly hindered when he overshot his pit box before a tyre change.

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But the McLaren driver's advantage at that point and consistent pace guaranteed his defense of P10.

"When an opportunity like this comes up, we have to grab it with both hands – and we did.

"Before my stop, we were looking at the gap behind and trying to over-cut people behind us, but I made a small mistake at the stop, locked up and stopped too long.

"Nonetheless, my pace in the race was encouraging – we were definitely quicker than the Force Indias here, but overtaking is very difficult.

"In the end, we got points so it’s a good weekend for the team."

It's been a trying maiden year in F1 so far for the Belgian, but improvement does indeed look like it is on its way.

"We want to finish much higher, that's definitely our target," Vandoorne said.

"The start of the season has been difficult for us and we know there are only a couple of tracks where we have opportunities.

"Every race we are improving and bringing new bits to the car. Obviously there are tracks that suit us better than others with different engine sensitive tracks. Spa and Monza are probably a bit harder for us.

"The more twisty tracks will suit us a bit better and it's those we have to try and take the most out of."

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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.