Vandoorne not yet thinking of Mercedes: 'This was priority'

Stoffel Vandoorne will get on a plane to travel to Bahrain tomorrow, as he announced in a press conference after his test day for Formula E in Valencia. A return to the Formula 1 grid thus seems to be another step closer.

However, Vandoorne was not yet able to give a great deal of clarity in Valencia. "I do not know what is going to happen, but I know that there is an opportunity for me to drive,", quotes Racefans.net. "But let's wait and see. I'm going on a trip tomorrow and I'll find out."

The Belgian driver was one of the first to be informed of Lewis Hamilton's contamination this morning. "I got a first message this morning around seven o'clock," says Vandoorne. "The team told me that Lewis tested positive and that they would announce an hour later. Since then, it's just been kind of a wait."

Although Vandoorne is going to Bahrain, it seems that no decision has yet been taken on Hamilton's replacement. "To be honest, I haven't been able to think about it that way yet, because I have focused on my Formula E test here. That was the priority of the day. I know I'm going to Bahrain tomorrow anyway, so let's wait and see".

Besides Vandoorne, George Russell seems to have the greatest chance to fill in for the world champion. The team is also supposed to weigh up the possibility of giving the Mercedes junior a chance. In that case Vandoorne could replace Russell at Williams again.