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McLaren's racing director Eric Boullier has admitted that Stoffel Vandoorne hasn't performed the way he expected so far this season. Vandoorne is competing in his first full season of F1, having made his debut last year at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The Belgian has struggled so far, being unable to match the pace of teammate Fernando Alonso. The 2015 GP2 has only managed to escape Q1 on one occasion, at the Monaco Grand Prix.
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When asked by Sky Sports how he rated Vandoorne's rookie season so far, Boullier said: "Not as good as I was expecting. He's got a pretty high track record in the junior categories. He won everything that he went through like Lewis [Hamilton]. He's very talented.
"We didn't give him 100 percent to do well because he had a lot of issues on his car which was quite regular. But we are now addressing this to help him drive the cars the way we want to be fast. I am confident he will achieve this. All the young drivers starting from Verstappen struggle in the first six months."
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Replies (9)
Login to replyf1fan0101
Posts: 1,804
Maybe he'd do a better job if he had a good car
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
While it is true that the car magnifies his weaknesses, it has to be said that he has severely underperformed Alonso. That being said, it is possible that just about any driver on the grid today would look similar to Stoffel, considering how Alonso has been driving lately.
mbmwe36
Posts: 533
I did not have very high expectations for him before the season, and I still consider him a major disappointment considering the hype around him before the season. I said it the other, he is not far from being the next Palmer, if he doesn't get his act together in a hurry...
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
It should be noted that Vandoorne might have underperformed due to the team putting all their resources on Alonso. For an example, in Baku, Alonso had the new PU, got the best pit timing, everything. And while I agree that Vandoorne has been underperforming, even when considering that, I dont think its fair yet to judge him. Give him this year and the next.
HEINZ
Posts: 61
You are wrong... Maybe they support Alonso a bit more but he only used the spec 3 engine for the practice session, not the race. They are expected to rely more on Alonso since he is much more experienced, dont you agree? But I do agree that he should be given more time! If Palmer had 2 seasons, he surely deserves 2 or 3 too ;)
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
True, he didnt use the spec 3 in race, at least not all of it (I believe the MGU-H was new in his car) and it does make sense to have him get the first go on it. I wont fight you on that. And I agree that Alonso should have some priority, but prioritizing one driver is one thing, putting all cards on said driver is a different beef, and as far as I've seen, Vandoorne has been underprioritized. Its not just one race that McLaren has messed up with the timing on pitting Vand. Would he be on par with Alonso with better priority? No. But I do think it has affected his placings in the races. Of course, thats just my take on it.
boudy
Posts: 1,168
pot and kettle.
krommenaas
Posts: 155
Vandoorne was ahead of Alonso in Baku when the team made him do a pit stop in lap FIVE and ruined his race. Hard to prove your worth when the team is working against you.
Major Tom
Posts: 152
He has undoubtedly been disappointing, but you have to feel sorry for him. Having Alonso as a team mate is always going to be tough and this difficulty must be multiplied by the difficulties the team are having with the car. Having said that I really doubt that Maclaren (which is still a big team) haven't been doing everything they can to help him. At the end of the day racing in F! is for the very best and is always tough and no excuses are acceptable.