McLaren’s Ron Dennis says he expects Stoffel Vandoorne to be ready to move up to Formula 1 in 2017, following a year racing in Super Formula.
The Belgian driver won the GP2 championship last year, alongside his commitments as a McLaren test driver. However, with Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button remaining at the team, there was no space to promote Vandoorne.
The McLaren Young Driver Programme member will race in the Japanese single-seater series in 2016 with Docomo Team Dandelion Racing.
"Super Formula cars are fast and grippy, and Stoffel will be competing against ex-Formula 1 drivers such as Kamui Kobayashi, Kazuki Nakajima, Narain Karthikeyan and Andre Lotterer," Dennis told the official Formula 1 website.
"He will fare well. His journey to Formula 1 has been mapped out very carefully, as is always the case with McLaren Young Driver Programme members, and we expect him to be ready in 2017."
Dennis added: "He has always been intelligent, but to that intelligence he has recently added a level of wisdom unusual in one so young.
"And he is as physically fit as any racing driver in any race series in the world, including Formula 1."
