'Positive for me to race alongside Alonso,' says Vandoorne

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Stoffel Vandoorne believes racing alongside Fernando Alonso next season at McLaren can only be positive for the Belgian driver's own development.

Vandoorne, who replaced the injured Spaniard in Bahrain at the start of the season and scored a point on his F1 debut, will be graduating full-time to the McLaren-Honda race team as Jenson Button ponders his future for twelve months.

The 24-year-old former GP2 champion is looking forward to his 2017 challenge and sharing the McLaren garage with Alonso.

"I think it's something positive for me to race alongside Fernando," Vandoorne told ESPN.

"Everyone obviously knows his qualities, he's a double world champion and a lot of people see him as one of the toughest drivers to beat. So I think it's positive for me to come in and be his team-mate."

Vandoorne obviously doesn't have any inhibitions about stepping into the big time and challenging one of the sport's most successful drivers.

But the Belgian insisted that the relationship with his elder also entailed working for the team.

"Obviously we'll try to beat each other, that's normal because we're racing drivers. But as well we have to make sure we push the team forward for next year.

"We're making big progress now and hopefully next year we can make another big step."

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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.