Max Verstappen has defended Stoffel Vandoorne's record against Fernando Alonso by suggesting McLaren never gave him a fair chance against the Spaniard.
The Belgian will be dropped and replaced by Lando Norris for 2019 having only scored eight points this season and been outqualified by Alonso at every race, a streak that also includes the final three races of 2017.
It marks a disappointingly short career at the British team, having arrived with a great deal of expectation but the Red Bull driver doesn't think Formula 1 has seen Vandoorne at his best.
"I never thought he had a good chance with Fernando," Verstappen told Dutch publication Formule 1.
"I really like Stoffel, he's a very good driver. Fernando has the same car, but I think he always had newer parts.
"That's a shame, because with such a large team as McLaren you would expect they would always have two versions of something new.
"I don't think he had a very good chance against Fernando and of course you pay for that."
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What also surprised the 26-year-old is how McLaren CEO Zak Brown has behaved since deciding to drop him, even trying to get him a seat at Toro Rosso.
Verstappen appeared to confirm Vandoorne wasn't being considered by the junior Red Bull squad, however.
"No. Maybe I know who is going there," he smiled.
