Our compatriot Stoffel Vandoorne reflected on his time in Formula 1 during the ‘Beyond the Grid’ podcast. He also drew comparisons with Max Verstappen, whom he believes is “very good at complaining”.
Stoffel Vandoorne had the opportunity to race for the McLaren F1 team for two seasons, in 2017 and 2018, which were marked by one of McLaren’s most challenging periods in Formula 1 history. In 2018, there was a stark contrast compared to his first season at McLaren, where he was able to keep pace with Alonso. However, the following year was a different story. By the end of 2018, Vandoorne’s time in F1 had come to an end, following a tough season where he was clearly outperformed by Fernando Alonso.
During the ‘Beyond the Grid’ podcast, Vandoorne reflects on his debut season at McLaren. Despite being a rookie and matching Alonso’s pace, he wasn’t entirely satisfied with his performance, which he believes is a common trait among racing drivers.
“You’re never completely satisfied. There are always areas for improvement. You always strive to do better,” Vandoorne states before drawing a parallel with Max Verstappen. According to Vandoorne, even top drivers like Verstappen are prone to complaining because as a racing driver, there’s always a belief that things could have been even better.
“When you listen to Max on the team radio, he tends to complain when things aren’t going his way, even if he wins by a significant margin. It’s the nature of an athlete to always seek improvement.”