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Fernando Alonso has leapt to the defence of his teammate Stoffel Vandoorne.
It is believed McLaren is considering ousting the struggling Belgian in favour of young charger Lando Norris.
And Auto Motor und Sport reports that a representative of Vandoorne's management team was spotted in the Sauber motor home at Hockenheim.
The Swiss team is having a surprisingly good 2018 season, with Sauber boss Frederic Vasseur declaring: "We are now interesting for drivers who didn't think of us before."
But Spaniard Alonso says Vandoorne is still doing a good job for McLaren.
He said at Hockenheim that something is wrong with Vandoorne's car lately, adding: "If you look at my previous teammates, they were much further away than Stoffel is.
"In 2014, Kimi was six or seven tenths away in each race," Alonso said. "Now it's less.
"There's nothing to criticise him (Vandoorne) for. Because of his track record, people should give him time, or remember the results of qualifying from last year or before Silverstone."
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Replies (3)
Login to replyajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
"In 2014, Kimi was six or seven tenths away in each race,l" lol savage. I mostly agree with the defense of Stoffel. But results need to come. He's had bad luck, a lot of it. But that's not an excuse you can use all season long. I really believe that Stoffel is incredibly talented so I'm waiting for the breakthrough moment.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Same, I must admit I've been a tad disappointed in what we've seen from him this far. But time will tell, maybe he'd do way better in a better can, but the same can be said or most of the current drivers.
Kean
Posts: 692
Really, is a move to Sauber a bad thing? I mean McLaren is a mess. Even though I just read that they've poached James Key from Toro Rosso, I think it will take time for McLaren to be a winning team again. And the way Sauber is going... could be Sauber is on par with McLaren next year, and I think Vasseur is a much better boss. I wouldn't mind seeing Giovinazzi and Vandoorne in Sauber next year, and Sainz & Norris in McLaren.