Vandoorne impresses McLaren on F1 debut
Stoffel Vandoorne, the man expected to be McLaren's next race driver, had his first ever F1 test with the team in Barcelona Wednesday.
McLaren was a designated Pirelli test team on Wednesday, so Vandoorne's focus was on running the hard prototype 2015 tires. However, he did sneak in a run on 2014 mediums late in the day, on which he sent the ninth best time of the session.
McLaren said that that the Belgian GP2 driver impressed with "his maturity, feedback and pace." He ran 136 laps, double the 300 kilometers required to earn a superlicence.
"This has been a fantastic day for me, my first experience in a Formula 1 car, and a really great opportunity to get plenty of laps under my belt.
"I want to say a big thank you to the team - everyone has been incredibly helpful and positive. It's also great to have been able to contribute to the test program: 136 laps today was a fantastic achievement, and it's great that it's earned me the right to be granted a Formula 1 Superlicence."