Stoffel Vandoorne feels there will be more pressure on the McLaren F1 Team to perform in 2018 now they have made the switch to Renault Sport power.
The twenty-five-year-old Belgian will line-up for his sophomore season in Formula 1 this year having endured a tough rookie campaign fraught with mechanical failures, engine penalties and a lack of competitiveness with the Honda power unit.
But with the Japanese manufacturer having been replaced by Renault, Vandoorne feels the pressure will be on the team to show just what they can do, particularly as they will be in direct competition with the fellow Renault-powered Red Bull Racing, as well as the works Renault Sport Formula 1 Team.
“In 2018 the pressure on the team is big because we have big points of comparison next to us, like Red Bull who won races last season,” said 2015 GP2 Series champion Vandoorne to Belgian broadcaster RTBF.
“Renault has also done well, so the pressure is there. But it is also positive and we need it to progress.
“The change will be big for us, everyone is very motivated to start testing and see what it’s going to give on the track. In Barcelona we’ll know a little more about how the season will unfold.”
