Vandoorne Replaces Button at McLaren for 2017

VANDOORNE TO RACE FOR MCLAREN IN 2017/BUTTON TO TAKE SABBATICAL

    McLaren have confirmed Stoffel Vandoorne will join their race driver line up following Button’s semi-retirement.

    The Brit has moved to a behind the scenes role developing the car whilst Vandoorne joins Fernando Alonso in the 2017 driver line up.

    McLaren call the format a “three driver strategy”.

    “(Button) will continue to be a senior, influential and committed member of the team, and will remain centrally involved in the development of our cars. He’ll also be available to race for us if circumstances require it,” said Ron Dennis.

    If, for instance, either driver is in a huge accident and told he can’t race at the next GP…

    Stoffel Vandoorne naturally fit into the seat that Button had vacated. After filling in for Fernando Alonso at the beginning of the season, the Belgian scored McLaren’s first point of the season. He’s been on the McLaren Young Driver Programme since 2013, and was appointed the team’s test and development driver at the start of 2014.

    “He’s been both diligent and patient over the past two seasons, and he shares with all of us at McLaren-Honda the confidence that 2017 will be the season in which our partnership begins to deliver strong results,” Dennis said.

    “Over the past two and a half years, he’s made a very valuable contribution to (the test and development) role, learning from his two World Champion team-mates as well as from our many world class engineers, and, having been runner-up in World Series by Renault in 2013 and the run-away winner of the GP2 Championship last year, he’s now completed with distinction a meticulously designed apprenticeship.”

    Vandoorne said: “I already know the team extremely well – they’re a fantastic group of extremely clever people – and I’ve already raced the car once and tested it often. I have total confidence in the potential of the McLaren-Honda project, and I firmly believe that, racing alongside a brilliant and experienced driver, I’ll be able to make a strong contribution to the team’s future World Championship successes. I’m not saying when that’ll happen, but I’m confident that that’s what the McLaren-Honda team will achieve, and I’m determined to do my bit.”

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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