Vandoorne puzzled by 'bizarre' lack of pace at McLaren

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Stoffel Vandoorne echoed McLaren team mate Fernando Alonso's confusion following the pair's dismal qualifying session on Saturday.

Both men missed the Q3 cut, ending up P14 and 15 after a disappointing run that contradicted their hopes of improvement, their MCL33 theoretically set to benefit in Canada from Renault's engine upgrade.

Instead, McLaren's drivers were left to ponder their under-performance, and offered no clear answers on how to turn around their fortunes.

No clear reason for McLaren under-performance - Alonso

"We weren't competitive at all," said Vandoorne.

"It's a bit bizarre. Yesterday we had a good rhythm and we didn't use the hypersofts in FP2.

"We thought there was a chance to get to Q3. From the start of qualifying we didn't have the performance to get there."

The Belgian clearly felt there was nothing wrong with his car's behavior, outside the fact that overall pace was lacking.

"We were quite disappointed to qualify so far back. We kind of stagnated. There was nothing particularly wrong with the car," he added.

"The balance was good. Nothing major to comment. We were just lacking pace.

"It's a shame not to be able to progress further. There's some learning to do. We expected to be higher up."

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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.