Todt hopes Vandoorne gets second F1 chance

Nicolas Todt is holding out hope that Stoffel Vandoorne gets a second chance in Formula 1 in the future. The Belgian was axed by McLaren following the end of the 2018 season after two full years with the team.

Vandoorne had a tough year at the Woking outfit, who struggled to successfully develop the MCL33. The 26-year-old failed to outqualify teammate Fernando Alonso once and ended the season P16 in the drivers' championship.

McLaren opted to replace Vandoorne with its junior Lando Norris for the 2019 campaign, leaving Vandoorne to find solace in the Formula E championship. Todt believes that he was unlucky to have a poor car to work with in 2018.

"First of all, he was in a bad car, that does not help,” Todt said to Speedweek. "But at the bottom of the line, nothing helps: you have to do with the material you are offered."

“He also had one of the best drivers in the world next to him. Even if your car is bad, you have to beat your teammate, at least once in a while, and if you lose the qualifying match 21-0, you will almost certainly not survive in Formula 1.

"Then things went wrong, I am still convinced that he is an excellent driver and I hope he gets a second chance."

After a difficult opening race to his Formula E career last month in Saudi Arabia, Vandoorne will be back in action this weekend in Marrakech for the second round of the 2018/19 season.