Vandoorne "quite relieved" to have nightmare qualifying season behind him

Departing McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne has admitted being "quite relieved" that he won't have to do any more qualifying this season, as the Belgian has been out-qualified by teammate Fernando Alonso on every single occasion this season.

The 26-year-old finished 18th in qualifying at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, three places below the retiring Alonso. It's the first time since 2008 that a driver out-qualified his teammate every time for a whole season. Who was that driver in 2008? Fernando Alonso (Nelson Piquet Junior was his teammate).

"[I'm] quite relieved, to be honest, we've not been in really good shape all season long," Vandoorne was quoted by Motorsport.com after qualifying in Abu Dhabi.

"But I had a lot of fun out there today and I think tomorrow, one final race to go and I'm just going to the try and make the most of it."

READ: Fernando Alonso completes 21-0 qualifying thrashing over team-mate

"I had a lot of fun, and that's what matters. This car is still nice to drive even though when you look at the classification it's difficult to enjoy.

"But I had fun, I tried to do the best. Tomorrow we have one more race to go, which I'm just going to enjoy as much as I can.

"On the other side, I'm looking forward to seeing the chequered flag and to start a new chapter [in Formula E]."

Vandoorne has been part of the McLaren youth program since 2013, winning the Formula 2 title in his debut season in emphatic fashion, breaking the record for most wins by a rookie. He went to the Super Formula driver next, before replacing Jenson Button as McLaren's second driver in 2017.