» Vandoorne gets McLaren reserve role

Stoffel Vandoorne has been appointed as McLaren's reserve driver for the 2014 season

Stoffel Vandoorne has been appointed as McLaren’s reserve driver for the 2014 Formula 1 season.

The 21-year-old Belgian will share these duties with a full-time GP2 Series campaign with the ART Grand Prix team.

Vandoorne was partnered with McLaren’s rookie signing, Kevin Magnussen, in last year’s Formula Renault 3.5 Championship. The pair finished 1-2 in the Drivers’ Championship, with Vandoorne claiming four wins and ten podium finishes en route to securing the runner-up spot.

“I’m thrilled and honoured to have been selected by McLaren Mercedes to be the team’s Formula 1 reserve driver,” Vandoorne said of his appointment.

“Equally, I’m really excited to have been selected to race for the ART GP2 team.

“I plan to take my responsibilities as McLaren Mercedes’ Formula 1 reserve driver very seriously indeed, since I very much enjoy immersing myself in the technical aspects of Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends.

STOFFEL VANDOORNE PROFILE

Born	26 March 1992, Kortrijk (BEL)
1998-2009	Karting
2009	CIK-FIA World Cup, 2nd overall
2010	Formula 4 Eurocup, 1st overall
2011	Formula Renault, 5th overall Formula Renault NEC, 3rd overall
2012	Formula Renault, 1st overall Formula Renault NEC, 9th overall
2013	Formula Renault 3.5, 2nd overall

“I’ll do whatever I can to help the team’s two Formula 1 race drivers, Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen, both of whom are great guys and superb drivers, to achieve as much as they possibly can this season.”