Friday leaves Vandoorne with 'positive feelings'

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A normal day of running was all Stoffel Vandoorne was hoping for on Friday in Hungary, and the Belgian got just that after reverting back to an older McLaren MCL33 chassis.

For this weekend's race, the Woking-based outfit ditched the Belgian's previous MCL33 chassis following a two-race slump marked by inexplicable issues that impacted Vandoorne's performance.

At the end of the day however, and despite a spin in FP1 on the ultrasoft tyres, the 26-year-old was both satisfied and relieved by his practice sessions.

"The feeling was actually back to normal, so that was a positive thing to get into this weekend – we actually had a normal Friday where we could work normally on the car set-up," he said.

"Unfortunately no lap time on the ultrasofts for me because I spun off the track, but long run pace was good, back to normal, quite competitive.

McLaren's Vandoorne gets new chassis ahead of Hungarian GP

"A good feeling in the car again and it feels finally like tomorrow we can start putting some pieces together again and prepare the best we can for qualifying."

Obviously, with improvements come the prospect of fighting once again for a spot among the top-10 in qualifying, although the McLaren isn't sure that is where he really wants to be at the end of Saturday.

"It is very tight," he said.

"I think the target for us is to be as close to possible to the top 10. I don't know for us if being in Q3 is a good thing with the tyres, the ultrasofts, so being as close as possible would be ideal."

Regardless of how the remainder of the weekend day pans out, Vandoorne was simply happy to regain his footing after a very complicated couple of races.

"It's nice just to have a normal weekend, get into the weekend and finally start working again and not just completely look after problems all the time," he said.

"So, happy how today went and looking forward to progress a bit tomorrow."

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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.