F1 | Prost: “Vandoorne raced at the same level as Alonso, or even better”

Alain Prost takes a look at the new customers: the Renault consultant, interviewed by the Belgian broadcaster RTBF, analyzed the situation inside the McLaren garage, focusing in particular on the coexistence between Stoffel vandoorne e Fernando Alonso. “We all watched Vandoorne because, before entering Formula 1, he was recognized as one of the best young people around” – explained Prost. “His experience at McLaren began with several reliability problems, then he never had the same material as Alonso. But I think Vandoorne has been racing at the same level, or even better, than Alonso lately, which in turn focused perfectly on development”. The Spaniard and the Belgian finished the championship in 15th and 16th place, with 17 and 13 points respectively.

By virtue of the unprecedented McLaren-Renault combination, many have projected Fernando Alonso in the list of contenders for the 2018 title: “Next year with a good engine, which we will then see if it is efficient and reliable, it won't be easy sharing the garage with Alonso" – said the four-time French world champion. “So Vandoorne needs to stay calm and take his time: I think he will have no problem getting to the top in the years to come”.

Finally, Prost focused on the numerous reliability problems received this year from Renault: “Today we are in a phase of hyper-technology, but it is normal. This is the first time we have been overwhelmed by technology, but that's not a bad thing. It's just a cycle.".

Federico Martino