McLaren team boss Zak Brown admitted that Fernando Alonso’s superior results were mostly due to fact that he had a better engine or chassis package. The Spanish double world champion was given first preference whenever new parts were shipped in. This made it difficult for Vandoorne to perform at the same level as his teammate.

Brown said, “They did not always have the same parts. Both cars were looked after identically, but sometimes we only had one update available. It was not an easy start for [Stoffel] as we had problems with the reliability of the vehicle, he was a freshman who has been driving some circuits for the first time in his life. The gap was created by the car and not by the skills of the drivers. We are very satisfied with Stoffel’s performance.”

Further complicating matters were Honda’s engine problems. Due to the repeated failures, the woking squad lost precious time sitting out of practice sessions. It denied vital seat time to the inexperienced rookie.

Brown added, “Stoffel had missed sessions on tracks he had never been to before. He only had five laps to set a good time, so of course it’s difficult if your teammate is one of the best racers in the world.”

Further proving the existence of the gap was the fact that 9 out of ten updates would go to the more experienced driver. The one thing about the Belgian’s performance was his ability to make up places during the races, often catching up to his team mate. It was enough to convince Brown that “He’s close to Fernando.”

Vandoorne is a highly underrated driver. He was one of six drivers who made their debut in 2017. The likes of Esteban Ocon may have been considered the best rookie, but Vandoorne was greatly hobbled by the troublesome McLaren-Honda. In 2016, the Belgian stepped in for Alonso at Bahrain, who had been temporarily sidelined after his shunt in Melbourne. But 2017 was his first full season in F1.

Force India’s Ocon, regularly challenged his more experienced and well rated teammate Sergio Perez. Yet, Stoffel could be considered a close runner up to Ocon or perhaps better. All this is considering the dual challenge of an unreliable and slow car and his team mate. The 25-year old amassed 13 points to Alonso’s 17, a decent haul especially since they would often struggle to finish a full race. ridiculously massive grid penalties week in week out didn’t help their cause either.