Vandoorne not worried about possible McLaren exit

Stoffel Vandoorne says he is not worried about the prospect of losing his McLaren seat at the end of the season.

Vandoorne has had an underwhelming year so far, struggling against his esteemed teammate Fernando Alonso having been out qualified at every race so far this season. This has been seen as a surprise to some, especially considering his extremely strong junior record including the domination of GP2 during his championship winning year in what is seen as the premier junior series.

The failure to impress at McLaren has led to speculation that he could lose his seat with McLaren executive Zak Brown having to confirm he expects Vandoorne to stay for 2018.

Vandoorne did not seem worried when questioned about the possibility, explaining the problems McLaren have face saying: "I think everyone knows our weaknesses this year, because of the engine, we lose a lot of time on each lap, but the chassis itself is quite good. I'm not saying it's the best, but it's definitely very good. I am not worried, because I signed a multi-year contract with the team. I like everything here, we are moving in the right direction, and I'm sparing no effort in working together with McLaren. It's my main goal and I'm completely focused on it"

Sam Gale