Breaking news
Formula 1
Vandoorne feels "more comfortable than ever"
McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne says he has "come into my own" as the 2017 Formula 1 season has progressed and now feels more comfortable in the car "than ever before".
Lawrence Barretto
Edited: Nov 20, 2017, 4:04 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
On earning promotion to the race seat for 2017, Vandoorne did not escape Q1 in any of the first five races and struggled to make an impact in the opening half of the year.
But a change in his driving style, combined with what racing director Eric Boullier described as "hard work, trust, confidence and talent" has helped him turn things around.
At the start of the season, Vandoorne's supertime - the fastest lap from any session over each grand prix weekend converted to a percentage with 100 percent representing the outright fastest - was 1.439 percent adrift of Alonso. After 19 races, that gap has reduced to 0.423 percent.
"This year has been full of ups and downs for us," said Vandoorne, ahead of this weekend's season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
"I had a difficult start to the year, but as the season has progressed I've worked really hard with the team and feel that I've come into my own.
"I'm more comfortable in the cockpit now than ever before, and my rate of progression over the second half of the season has been very satisfying.
"It's been a challenging year, but ultimately a rewarding one because I've learned a lot, and I can't wait to see what next year will bring."
Vandoorne is currently 16th in the drivers' standings on 13 points, two points and one place shy of Alonso with one race to go, with McLaren ninth in the constructors' championship.
It has been a challenging year for McLaren, which will part ways with engine supplier Honda to embark on a new partnership with Renault from next season.
"I'm proud of the battles we've fought and the achievements we've made as team this year, despite the lack of results and their respective influence on the championship table," said Boullier.
"Every member of our team has worked tirelessly to improve our package, race by race, and this weekend will be no exception, as we strive to make the most of every session before the close of the season for the winter shutdown.
"We use every single opportunity on track to evaluate and improve our package and learn valuable lessons for next year, and this weekend will be just as important as ever.
"With the relative stability in the regulations between 2017 and '18, it means a lot of the data we've gathered, especially over the last few races, will still stand us in good stead over the winter and help inform the all-important decisions we make on next year's package."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Hamilton would have been a star in my era - Fittipaldi
Next article Red Bull hopes to avoid 'Scrapheap Challenge' with Renault parts
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Lawrence Barretto
Rowland to test Super Formula car this month
Super Formula
Super Formula Mar 1, 2018
Rowland to test Super Formula car this month
Sirotkin, Stroll to have two race engineers each
Formula 1
Formula 1 Feb 28, 2018
Sirotkin, Stroll to have two race engineers each
Hamilton "sacrifice" saved Mercedes an hour of testing
Formula 1
Formula 1 Feb 27, 2018
Hamilton "sacrifice" saved Mercedes an hour of testing
More from
Stoffel Vandoorne
2027 Formula E drivers and teams: The line-up so far
Formula E
Formula E 1 d
2027 Formula E drivers and teams: The line-up so far
Stoffel Vandoorne to leave Peugeot’s WEC Hypercar team after Fuji
WEC
WEC
Fuji
1 mo
Stoffel Vandoorne to leave Peugeot’s WEC Hypercar team after Fuji
Aston Martin retains Stoffel Vandoorne as simulator, test and reserve driver for 2026
Formula 1
Formula 1
Barcelona-Catalunya Pre-Season Testing
9 mo
Aston Martin retains Stoffel Vandoorne as simulator, test and reserve driver for 2026
More from
McLaren
McLaren to upgrade MCL40 car at its bogey F1 track Las Vegas
Formula 1
Formula 1
Las Vegas GP
1 d
McLaren to upgrade MCL40 car at its bogey F1 track Las Vegas
Latest news
Yamaha may not be competitive immediately in MotoGP's 850cc era, says Pramac
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
3 h
Yamaha may not be competitive immediately in MotoGP's 850cc era, says Pramac
You Ask The Questions: Jack Miller
MotoGP
Qatar GP
You Ask The Questions: Jack Miller
Why the anticlimactic WEC title showdown was the worst-case scenario
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
7 h
Why the anticlimactic WEC title showdown was the worst-case scenario
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe