Cyril Abiteboul says Stoffel Vandoorne would be amongst those considered to race for the Renault Sport Formula One Team, should the Belgian find himself out of a drive with the McLaren F1 Team.
Renault currently has Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr. in its driver line-up, but with the latter under contract with Red Bull Racing, there may be a vacancy should the Spaniard be recalled by the energy drinks company, and Abiteboul, Renault’s team principal, sees no reason why Vandoorne wouldn’t be considered for the drive.
“Do not say that Stoffel will join Renault because it is absolutely not the case,” said Abiteboul to Belgian publication La Derniere Heure. “But he is a driver that we look at.
“When I wonder about the possible options, I take Vandoorne into consideration.”
Abiteboul says Vandoorne remains a fast driver but has been up against Fernando Alonso as a team-mate, and it may just require a change of scenery to unlock the speed everyone knows he possesses.
“I think his situation is quite difficult,” said Abiteboul. “I don’t know the ins and outs, but sometimes a change of environment allows a driver to get the oxygen to bounce back.
“He was fast, talented, consistent in all of the lower categories and there is no reason for all that to disappear. But when you have Fernando next door it’s complicated, especially in McLaren’s circumstances of recent years.
“But he is a high level driver that we can look at in the future, depending on how our situation evolves.”
