Stoffel Vandoorne described himself "satisfied" with the job he did on Sunday in Bahrain as he joins the list of Formula 1 rookies to score a point in their debut race.
The McLaren third driver, who stood in for an injured Fernando Alonso, outqualfiied his more experienced team-mate and went on to score a point for the team after finishing tenth – meanwhile Jenson Button failed to finish the race following an ERS failure.
Speaking after, Vandoorne believes he maximised the opportunities available to him all weekend and came away with the result he expected.
"This result was more or less what I expected – I maximised the opportunity and I’m quite satisfied," he said.
"The start was a little bit difficult. There was debris left and right – it was pretty hectic in fact – and there was a lot of fighting throughout that opening lap.
"Since the beginning of the weekend, I’ve felt very confident in the car, and pretty comfortable that I could do a good job. I’m pleased that I didn’t make any mistakes operationally – I was really focusing on that side of things – and I came away with a point, which was a nice bonus.
"This weekend was a big opportunity for me: I made the most of it, I showed what I’m capable of, and now I just need to wait and see what happens next. That’s not for me to decide – so let’s see what the future brings."
Racing director Eric Boullier praised Vandoorne's "flawlessly mature performance" after a late call-up to replace Alonso.
"This evening, under floodlights here in the Bahraini desert, over the twists and turns of the superb Bahrain International Circuit, Stoffel did that remarkable and noteworthy thing: he scored a world championship point on his Formula 1 debut.
"In so doing, he capped a very fine weekend, which began with a late call-up and a lengthy two-leg flight from Japan, and ended with what can only be described as a flawlessly mature performance.
"We scored our first world championship point of the year – and, although on its own that’s nothing to write home about, the fact that it was scored by a grand prix debutant is surely cause to uncork the Chandon! Well done, Stoff!"
