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Vandoorne: I showed McLaren what I'm capable of

Stoffel Vandoorne believes he showed the McLaren team what he is capable of with his point-scoring debut in the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren MP4-31

Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren MP4-31

XPB Images

Fernando Alonso, McLaren with Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren
Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren MP4-31
Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren MP4-31 and Pascal Wehrlein, Manor Racing MRT05
Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren MP4-31 and Sergio Perez, Sahara Force India F1 VJM09
Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren MP4-31

The Belgian got a last-minute call to replace Fernando Alonso this weekend after the Spaniard was not cleared to drive following his crash in Melbourne.

Vandoorne outqualified teammate Jenson Button and went on to finish in 10th place, giving McLaren its first point of the season.

"This weekend was a big opportunity for me to get in the car and I'm very happy I got it," said Vandoorne.

"I think I made the most of it and showed them what I'm capable of. Now it's just wait and see.

"I had a lot of fun. Since my childhood I've been dreaming of Formula 1, and to have done my first weekend was a great opportunity for me."

He added: "In the end I think we more or less maximised the opportunity. We came away with one point, so I think for my Formula 1 debut I can be very happy with that.

"I'm just happy I didn't make any mistakes operationally and to come away with a point is just a bonus."

Despite his great performance all weekend, the GP2 champion admitted he saw his outing as a one-off and is not thinking of driving in China.

"I don't know about China. I see this as a one-off and I'm grateful for the opportunity that I had and I've shown what I can do."

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