Stoffel Vandoorne has been officially confirmed as McLaren official reserve driver for 2014, and will be combining his duties as a Formula 1 tester with a full competitive season in GP2. The twin moves take the 21-year-old Belgian a step closer to his ambition of becoming a Formula 1 driver. It's an aim that's already been considerably strengthened following last year's impressive rookie season in the World Series by Renault 3.5 series, in which he was narrowly beaten to the title by no less than Kevin Magnussen McLaren's newest Formula 1 driver.
"I'm thrilled and honoured to have been selected by McLaren Mercedes to be the team's Formula 1 reserve driver for 2014," said Vandoorne. "Equally, I'm really excited to have been selected to race for the ART GP2 team for 2014."
"I've been a member of the McLaren Young Driver Programme for almost a year now, and I've learned an enormous amount in that time. I visit the McLaren Technology Centre [MTC] at least once a week, sometimes more often than that, and I've done a lot of work in the MTC simulator to assist McLaren's Formula 1 engineers develop the new-for-2014 MP4-29 Formula 1 car."
"Equally, I've worked very hard on my physical and mental fitness over the past year, and the McLaren Young Driver Programme has been absolutely fantastic in that respect. The guys at Woking really know how to prepare a driver for Formula 1, and Ive really enjoyed working with them. I still do."
Stoffel's credentials have been underlined by McLaren sporting director Sam Michael. He said: "Stoffel is a truly excellent young driver fast, combative, consistent, intelligent and ambitious and he's already made an excellent impression on all at McLaren during the year he's spent as a member of the McLaren Young Driver Programme. His technical input is first-class, he's excellent in our simulator, and he isn't afraid of hard work. He has a collaborative and engaging manner, and he's therefore as popular at McLaren as he is helpful."
Vandoorne named as official reserve driver for McLaren
- Published on 23 Jan 2014 10:10
-
0
- By: Rob Veenstra
.
Trending news
-
Why Verstappen's rare Zandvoort mistake shocked Timo GlockMax Verstappen's heavy crash at the Dutch Grand Prix left Timo Glock relieved the Red Bull driver escaped unscath...
26 Aug 2026 17:04 -
Max Verstappen's wildest racing challenge yet revealedMax Verstappen will return to karting next month in a format never seen before. The Red Bull Racing driver will face ...
26 Aug 2026 16:02 -
Why Verstappen's rare Zandvoort error stunned his ex-Red Bull mechanicMax Verstappen's heavy first-lap crash at Zandvoort has left those closest to him visibly shaken, with former Red...
26 Aug 2026 15:00 -
New F1 circuit sees nineteen red flags in single day of testingFormula 3's first proper test at Madrid's new street circuit descended into chaos this week, with nineteen re...
26 Aug 2026 13:58 -
Why McLaren is ready to hand Norris a contract beyond 2030Lando Norris is expected to become the latest driver to commit his long-term future to a single team, with McLaren pr...
26 Aug 2026 12:57
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
Test calendar
Circuit de Catalunya - Winter testing
-
Jan 26
I. Hadjar
- 1:18.159
-
-
-
Jan 27
M. Verstappen
- 1:19.578
-
-
-
Jan 28
A. Antonelli
- 1:17.362
-
-
-
Jan 29
G. Russell
- 1:16.445
-
-
-
Jan 30
L. Hamilton
- 1:16.348
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 11
L. Norris
- 1:34.669
-
-
-
Feb 12
C. Leclerc
- 1:34.273
-
-
-
Feb 13
A. Antonelli
- 1:33.669
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 18
G. Russell
- 1:33.459
-
-
Feb 19
A. Antonelli
- 1:32.803
-
-
Feb 20
C. Leclerc
- 1:31.992
-
-
World Championship standings 2026
Pos
Driver
Team
Points
Pos
Team
Points
Related news
Give your opinion!
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
-
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
26 - Jun 28
Austria
Red Bull Ring
3 - Jul 5
United Kingdom
Silverstone
17 - Jul 19
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
24 - Jul 26
Hungary
Hungaroring
21 - Aug 23
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
Driver profile
- Team -
- Points -
- Podiums -
- Grand Prix -
- Country DK
- Date of b. Oct 5 1992 (33)
- Place of b. Roskilde, DK
- Weight 68 kg
- Length 1.74 m
25 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Kevin Magnussen
Team profile
- Team name ART
- Base - France
- Jake Hughes
- George Russell
- Jack Aitken
- Rene Binder
- Callum Ilott 1
- Charles Leclerc 1
- Nobuharu Matsushita 1
- Valtteri Bottas 1
- Nirei Fukuzumi 2
- Sergey Sirotkin 2
- Lewis Hamilton 2
- Nikita Mazepin 3
- George Russell 3
- Alexander Albon 3
- Nyck de Vries 4
- Nyck de Vries 4
- Stoffel Vandoorne 5
- Nobuharu Matsushita 7
- Marcus Ericsson 7
- Alexander Albon 8
- Sergey Sirotkin 8
- Nico Rosberg 9
- Stoffel Vandoorne 10
- 3,118 comments on ART
- 0 members have this team as their favourite
- Tweets about ART
Replies (0)
Login to reply