McLaren, Vandoorne asks for space: "I believe I deserve a place in F1"

Tenth place on his debut, with McLaren, self-awareness of his own potential, without false modesty. Stoffel Vandoorne, a twenty-four year old Belgian, has taken a liking to it, and now hopes to get back in the car soon, perhaps as a starter in F1.

"I think I have shown that I deserve a place on the grid - commented the reigning GP2 champion - Even though I had never driven the MP4-31, I immediately became familiar with the car and was fast. The result of the race was positive, already after qualifying I had set myself the points zone as my objective for the GP. We made the most of the opportunities and perhaps I could have done even more, given that I got very close to Bottas towards the end. But overall I am happy with what we did in Bahrain."

Complex, brazen, fast. A nice character, this Vandoorne, who deserves the reserve role. A clear message for 2017.

Antonino Rendina

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