Stoffel Vandoorne has suggested “politics” inside McLaren were partly responsible for his disappointing second season.
The Belgian arrived in Formula 1 in 2017 with great expectations based on his record in junior categories, but up against a double world champion in Fernando Alonso, he struggled to make his mark.
This year, Vandoorne failed to beat the Spaniard at all in qualifying and only scored 12 points compared to his teammate’s 50.
While a poor car for much of the year didn’t help, the 26-year-old hinted at other reasons for his poor performance.
“You have not seen everything that went on behind the scenes, all the politics,” he told Belgium’s La Derniere Heure. “I cannot say everything, but you can imagine some of the things.
“Personally I have no regrets, I did my job as best as I could. What I missed the most in some moments was feeling confidence from the team.
“It’s not always easy to perform and give the best of yourself when you know that they are negotiating with other drivers at the same time, but I did not give up and I ended my season with some good races”
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There were a few flashes of the potential Vandoorne undoubtedly has, including a strong race in Hungary before retiring with gearbox failure and in Abu Dhabi, he had a good fight with Esteban Ocon and Romain Grosjean.
Now a seat with HWA in Formula E awaits starting next month and Stoffel will remain a simulator driver with Mercedes next season.
Asked about his future prospects of returning to F1 though, he said: “I don’t know, but life sometimes surprises you. Maybe one day we’ll meet here again.”