Stoffel Vandoorne says McLaren has “massive potential” for the remainder of 2018 after an encouraging display at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
McLaren endured a disrupted test programme in the build-up to the first round of the year, as it got up to speed with new power unit partner Renault, following three lacklustre seasons with Honda.
Vandoorne and team-mate Fernando Alonso were knocked out of Q2 on Saturday, but both rose to score points, as Alonso claimed fifth, in front of Max Verstappen, Nico Hulkenberg and Valtteri Bottas.
Vandoorne, meanwhile, beat an ill-feeling Carlos Sainz Jr. to ninth position, and reckons McLaren can take heart from its performance, believing substantial gains are on the horizon.
“It’s a great result for the team to have both cars in the points,” said Vandoorne.
“It’s a big contrast from last year, and I think there’s massive potential for the future.
“We know there is more to come from us this season, and the partnership with Renault is still very new.
“This was our first race, we know that there are new parts coming over the next couple of Grands Prix, and I really hope we can show that on track too.
“The baseline is good, we have something to work with and now we need to keep improving and deliver more performance, and ultimately points.
“Our performance in the race was pretty good – we were fighting with the Renault and Red Bull cars which is positive, and we think there is definitely some margin for progression.
“It’s a great start to the season, and after this race I feel there’s a lot of potential for the future. We need to be ambitious as a team, and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s around the corner.”
McLaren holds fourth position in the Constructors’ Championship, having bagged 12 points in Australia – equalling the biggest haul it took from a single race in its three-year spell with Honda.
