McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne believes he is finally reaping the benefits of the knowledge and experience he has gained this year.

The Belgian's first full season of F1 racing got off to a rocky start, hindered by Honda's reliability issues but also an approach to his driving which perhaps limited his ability to extract the most of his car.

A few personal tweaks and better experience coupled  with McLaren-Honda's improvements have definitely helped Vandoorne lift his level of performance just before the summer break.

"With the experience I have now, I'm much more able to direct the way I want to go," he said.

"I think the last few races have been very good from a performance point of view, matching Fernando on pace as well, which has been positive."

The 25-year-old is still on a learning curb however, but his recent progress marks an important breakthrough with more to come.

"Every weekend I'm still making big steps forward and I'm pushing very hard with the team to get things in my way, let's say, trying to get the car to suit my style a little bit more," he adds.

"Also from my point of view in terms of managing practice sessions, managing a whole race weekend through qualifying and then the race is definitely going in a good direction." 

"It has been good progress during that first part. I think that the margin to improve is still big; there are a lot of things to come, so that is looking promising for the next races."

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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.

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