Source: McLaren Media Centre

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Vandoorne not aggressive enough for F1 according to McLaren boss Brown

Vandoorne not aggressive enough for F1 according to McLaren boss Brown

23-10-2018 13:34
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Jake Williams-Smith

McLaren CEO Zak Brown says that Stoffel Vandoorne isn't aggressive enough for a seat in F1. The Belgian driver is moving on from F1 after being replaced at the McLaren team by junior driver Lando Norris and will be racing in Formula E with HWA Racelab.

Vandoorne has struggled all season long against teammate Fernando Alonso, a difference in performance that has only served to magnify the underperformances of the Belgian driver.

"Was he too corporate? No, I wouldn't say that," Brown said.

"He's a very, very nice guy, but maybe he should have been a bit more aggressive with us.

"When Fernando doesn't like something about the car, he does not hesitate to raise his voice. Maybe for Stoffel it was more difficult for him to do that in this environment."

McLaren teammate Alonso weighed in on the situation, believing that Vandoorne was simply unlucky in his timing which resulted in him being cut by the team.

"Stoffel was unlucky to be with McLaren at this time, with the cars he had at his disposal in these two years," Alonso told Belgian broadcaster RTBF.

"I think it's a good thing for him to change. He won in every category he ever did, but Formula One is the only discipline in motor racing where talent is not enough to overcome the weaknesses of the car."