Vandoorne on time with Alonso: 'Things were happening behind the scenes'

Stoffel Vandoorne had the chance to prove his talent as a Formula One driver in 2017, but failed to leave a lasting impression. In his two seasons at McLaren, veteran Fernando Alonso wiped the floor with him. Meanwhile, the 29-year-old Belgian faces the fact that he probably won't be able to fulfill his Formula One dream.

At the end of 2018, Alonso left Formula 1, but there was also no place left for team-mate Vandoorne. McLaren opted for rejuvenation and signed Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris, ushering in a new era for the team from Woking.

Vandoorne left for Formula E, but remained active as a test driver for Mercedes' Formula 1 team. Things did not turn out as he had hoped, despite the fact that things were looking rosy during his GP2 career. So where did it go wrong for the Belgian?

Vandoorne's Formula 1 career ended in disappointment

Was he just unlucky to end up next to a rock-solid team-mate? According to Vandoorne, there was a bit more to it than that. "You didn't see everything that happened behind the scenes, all the politics," he explains to the Brussels daily Dernière Heure.

The Formula E driver says he can't talk about everything, but that he did miss a sense of trust with the team at certain times. "It's not easy to drive at your best when you know that the team is negotiating with other drivers behind your back," says Vandoorne, who now realizes that his chances in the premier class of motor racing are as good as gone. Yet he says he has no regrets.