McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne was disappointed with his Monaco Grand Prix after struggling with severe tyre wear throughout the race.
The Belgian's weekend was already hampered by starting in 12th place while team-mate Fernando Alonso was a further six places further up the grid.
Tyre wear was a significant problem for the majority of the field around the streets of Monte Carlo, however, Vandoorne appeared to suffer more than most as he was forced to make a second pit stop with five laps remaining – eventually crossing the line in 14th place.
"This was a disappointing race for me," said the Belgian.
"The first stint was really tough, I’d started on the Ultrasoft and was looking to run longer than the Hypersoft runners, but I had too much degradation and couldn’t manage it. Then I lost a lot of time at my first pit-stop, and that also lost me track position.
"My final stint on the Hypersoft was a bit quicker, and I could take the fight to the cars in front, but obviously Monaco is no place at which to overtake.
"We were expecting more, but I still think we’ve taken a step forward with our qualifying pace. But I think we need to really focus on improving our car performance so we’re better placed to score points.”
Despite having scored in three out of the six races so far, Vandoorne lies 15th in the World Drivers' championship, 24 points behind Alonso.
Mclaren remains fifth in the Constructors' Championship, just six behind their power unit supplier – Renault.
Discussion about this post