Stoffel Vandoorne believed 2017 was his "last chance" of securing a Formula 1 seat after he was overlooked for the current season, with McLaren opting to retain Jenson Button alongside Fernando Alonso.
The Belgian will make his debut next year following confirmation that Jenson Button will step down, which Vandoorne admitted was "big relief" as he truly believed his dream of getting to the top level of motorsport would have been over had he not secured the seat.
"It is a big relief that finally in 2017 I will be a fully-fledged Formula 1 drive," he told the official Formula 1 website.
Vandoorne, who will turn 25 come the start of the season – a relatively late age to make a debut in this modern era – admitted missing out on this year was hard to accept given his age, but took the opportunity to prove to McLaren that he deserved the seat.
"I don’t know what discussions were going in behind the scenes [last year], but I remember a year ago when I was finishing GP2 that, of course, there were a lot of rumours around that I might get the drive already for 2016," he said.
"Alas it didn’t happen back then, but yes, I remember all the hype surrounding it. And to be honest I was a little disappointed at the beginning – it was a tough moment for me to understand that F1 would have to wait another year.
"I kept my head cool and won the last two GP2 races that season and actually broke the record in that series. I knew it was best to give the answer on the track.
"Sure, time is always pressing in a driver’s career, so I knew it had to be next year – as it was probably my last chance of getting to F1."
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