Stoffel Vandoorne said farewell to Formula One at Sunday’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but McLaren boss Zak Brown would not be surprised to see the Belgian back on a future starting grid.
The 26-year-old, who dominated the 2015 GP2 championship but struggled in Formula One with an uncompetitive car, will debut in the all-electric Formula E series next month with the Mercedes-affiliated HWA Racelab team.
In two seasons with McLaren, Vandoorne managed a best result of seventh and was outqualified by double world champion team mate Fernando Alonso in all 21 races this season.
“I think Stoffel’s a great talent,” Brown told Reuters. “I think he did have a fair crack at it in a very poor racecar but we gave him two solid years and we gave Fernando and himself equal equipment.
“He did have a pretty difficult team mate but sometimes things don’t click and I think he’ll go on to be successful in Formula E. I think we could see him back in Formula One,” added the American.
“I wouldn’t be surprised, it wouldn’t be the first time a driver struggled a little bit at first and then gelled a little bit later on. I think Stoffel is definitely a Formula One calibre driver, so you can see him back for sure.”
Vandoorne told reporters in Abu Dhabi it was hard to see how things might pan out but he was not ruling out a comeback either.
While his main focus would now be Formula E, he would be keeping the lines of communication open.
“I’m tying up with Mercedes, I’m going to be their simulator driver which will be a new experience for me as well so I will keep in contact with Formula One and I will still be involved in this world,” he said.
McLaren will have an all-new lineup in 2019, with Spaniard Carlos Sainz joining from Renault while F2 runner-up Lando Norris moves up from a reserve role to make his Formula One debut. Alonso has kept open the possibility of a return, not entirely convincingly, but Brown said McLaren, former champions without a win since 2012, saw the pairing as a long-term one.
“We needed to make a change, a bit of a fresh start,” said the American. “We wanted to go with a young lineup that we can hold on to for a while.”

Verstappen suggests punishment could be attending F1 awards
Red Bull Formula One driver Max Verstappen has jokingly suggested he could serve part of a community service punishment by attending the governing FIA’s prizegiving gala in Russia next month. The 21-year-old Dutch driver, who was punished by the FIA for an angry post-race altercation with Frenchman Esteban Ocon in Brazil, finished fourth in the championship that ended in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
The top three drivers must attend the annual awards ceremony, held this year in St. Petersburg on December 7, even if those without trophies to collect would rather be somewhere else.
Verstappen would have beaten Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen to third overall had he finished second in Sunday’s race rather than third and he joked afterwards that it had all been deliberately planned. Asked by Mercedes’ five times world champion and race winner Lewis Hamilton whether he had secured third place, Verstappen grinned.
“Two points behind (Raikkonen) - but at least I don’t have to go to the Gala,” he said.
“Lucky you,” replied Hamilton, a regular at the ceremony with four titles in the last five years and as runner-up in 2016.
“We calculated that,” replied Verstappen. “I’m sorry. Unless I can do it as a community service day, and then I will go.
“I’ll do some PR stuff before? How great the whole venue is, I’ll do a special speech in the evening...”