McLaren CEO Zak Brown has recommended Toro Rosso sign Stoffel Vandoorne for 2019 after being ousted this week.
On Monday, the British team confirmed junior driver Lando Norris would get the nod over the Belgian, forming an all-new line-up alongside Carlos Sainz for next season.
However, the American chief has claimed he will help Vandoorne continue his Formula 1 career and believes one of the likely two empty seats at the junior Red Bull squad would be ideal.
“I definitely think he’s an F1 calibre driver and if I was Toro Rosso – who appear to have two open seats – I’d put Stoffel in, in a heartbeat,” he told reporters at Woking.
Brown also concedes that the former GP2 champion hasn’t had it easy in his two years with McLaren alongside Fernando Alonso and in the midst of the team’s lack of competitiveness.
“I think we’ve had a very poor race car for two years,” he acknowledged.
“Someone like Fernando can adapt quicker, he’s got so much experience. Stoffel was very close to Fernando, a lot closer than some other team-mates as Fernando commented.
“Stoffel is an outstanding race car driver. Ultimately we look to the future and feel Lando’s a future star. I think in a different environment Stoffel may excel more, and with a better race car.”
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As for the Norris promotion, the McLaren chief admits one reason for his early promotion was to counteract interest from elsewhere.
“We were fully aware that if he wasn’t going to drive for us next year, he’d be driving for someone else,” Brown claimed.
Asked where he added: “I assume it would be Toro Rosso. I think based on the phone calls I got, more than one team was interested in him.”
While it is unknown if Toro Rosso will consider Vandoorne, another warning has been sent to their current driver Brendon Hartley as he approaches one year since his F1 return.
“There has to be a big improvement in the last few races of the season,” Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko told Speedweek.
