Stoffel Vandoorne scores first Grand Prix point

It can be noted that the first point scored by McLaren in 2016 is the work of a rookie, who only learned of his race seat for this event the day before the weekend’s first practice sessions. Things weren’t obvious, with a particularly fierce first corner ahead of him: “The start was a bit tricky. There was debris to the right and left. It’s a bit of madness, actually. There were a lot of battles in the first lap.”

By delivering a confident and flawless race, the Belgian has clearly positioned himself for the future and shows that McLaren’s trust in him is well rewarded. He hopes this opens the doors to F1 for him in the future: « This weekend was a big opportunity for me. I made the most of it. I showed what I am capable of. Now, I just have to wait and see what happens next. It is not up to me to decide. We will see what the future holds for me. »

But the mechanics prevented his teammate from defending his chances until the end. Jenson Button thus believes that he could have fought for points in the 5th or 6th place if his Honda engine had not let him down once again at the worst moment. He had a very good start to the race: « I really got a good start, gained many positions by overtaking three cars under braking into turn 10. I was really thrilled. It’s really a shame because before I stopped, I was saving a lot of fuel, my tires were in good condition, and I was just following the cars in front of me. We were trying something different with the strategy. The cars we were waiting behind finished 5th and 6th. I think we could have had a great battle with them. »

The art of showing that one could have done better than their beginner teammate if the mechanics had given them the opportunity…

With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr