McLaren, Senna and Bathurst: Vandoorne answers your questions

Midday in Mexico City and the baking-hot sun is radiating with squint-making ferocity - and yet some folk in the Formula 1 paddock, including our interviewee, are still wearing garb to ward off the morning chill. The proliferation of gilets - more, even, than you'd expect to see at the average Harlequins rugby match - makes for a peculiar juxtaposition with what would otherwise be a typically Mexican scene. The wind carries not a chill but the joyous waft of trumpet, violin and guitar, signalling the approach of a wandering mariachi band.

Stoffel Vandoorne greets us cheerily, alights upon a chair in the shade of the McLaren hospitality unit, and, barely pausing to examine the pile of question cards in front of him, picks up the whole deck.

"You can shuffle them if you want," F1 Racing offers.

"Why on earth would I want to shuffle them?" asks Stoffel in genuine bafflement.

"Some drivers accuse us of stacking the deck, so the difficult ones are at the beginning. Or the end."

He chuckles, shakes his head and draws the top card.

"Take a look at this first question!" he exclaims.

Why do people in Belgium eat fries with mayonnaise?
Edgar Contreras, Mexico

I honestly wouldn't know why, it's just a tradition. We do have all sorts of sauces though. Cocktail sauce is good - ketchup mixed with mayonnaise.

Does your recent turnaround in form have anything to do with Rob Wilson's coaching up at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground?
David Fleming, UK

In a way, yes. I hadn't been to Rob in a while - the last time was maybe back in 2013. It was good to go back and have a kind of refresher, let's say, a reminder of the things we were doing a number of years ago. Rob is really good at sitting next to you, just in an ordinary road car, and explaining the negative inputs you have into the car, and then working on that. I've found that even though it's not a proper race track, it's always been a good experience for me.

If you could have something named after you would you rather it was a cake, a bridge, a hat or a dance?
Paddy Bates, UK

[He is flummoxed for a few seconds.] Everyone seems to go on about Stoffel's Waffles, so I suppose it should be a cake.

F1R: You could open a shop and call it Stoffel's Waffles!

SV: Why not? Moving on...

What motivates you in a race when you know the car is not capable of scoring points?
Aaron Petrauskas, Lithuania

First of all, you always have to be motivated, because there are only 20 drivers on the grid, 20 opportunities to do this. You should be happy and try to take the most out of the package you have. And in my case, there's so much to learn in my first year - all the new tracks I'm going to, and a great competitor, Fernando [Alonso], next to me. I go into every weekend positive and try to make the most out of it.

How important was the year in Japanese Super Formula for you?
Marcel Nicke, Germany

It was a good experience for me and very different from what I was used to in Europe. I had to learn new circuits, deal with the cultural differences and experience different working methods. So while it wasn't necessarily a year that I needed - because I was ready for Formula 1 before that - it was a great thing to do while I waited for an F1 opportunity to open up.

F1R: Did you get any crazy presents from the fans?

SV: I got loads - loads! - of crazy presents. Quite a lot of sweet stuff. Not good for the diet! But there's a great passion for racing there.

Which circuit do you enjoy the most and why?
Melodee Ghosn, USA

It has to be Spa - one of the greatest circuits in the world, and also my home event, so there's always a special feeling about racing there. It's a great atmosphere and to have all that support from the fans is amazing.

If you had to choose another career outside of motorsport, what would it be?
Natascha Polderman, UK

Hmmm...

F1R: Cake shop owner?

SV: Ha ha! Maybe cycling, although I didn't start cycling when I was young, it's kind of a passion that has grown. It's been a great way of keeping my fitness levels high, and it's a great thing to do to clear your mind when you arrive home from a race. When you're out on your bike, you don't really think much about the racing, and it's a great social thing. I have a few mates in the sport of cycling as well.

F1R: Well, cycling is a grand tradition in Belgium. Do you have a particular favourite event?

SV: Paris-Roubaix definitely [a brutal one-day event nicknamed 'The Hell of the North', featuring mud and long stretches of cobbled road]. In Belgium I like Liege-Bastogne-Liege [another infamously challenging race; in 1980 only 21 of the 174 entrants finished].

McLaren has such a great history. Do you have a favourite McLaren moment from their past?
Lindsay McCallum, UK

That's a tricky question because there are so many. For me, it has to be Ayrton Senna's qualifying lap at Monaco in 1988. I think that it's great to be part of a Formula 1 team which has so many good memories.

In the history of F1, which driver do you most admire and would liked to have raced against?
Kevin Figgis, Ireland

Ayrton Senna. He was a big inspiration for everyone, and obviously one of the biggest talents Formula 1 has ever seen. It would have been a pleasure and an honour to have shared a race track with him.

Do you think moving to Renault engines is good in the long-term? Do you think McLaren can win a championship with a Renault engine?
Abinay Reddy Mandem, India

Why not? It's positive to have the change, I think everyone was keen to get this change done. You can see already, back at the factory, that motivation has gone in the right direction. So it's very exciting for the future of the team.

Describe the most challenging corner of the Formula 1 season?
Patrick Six, Belgium

That's a tricky question to answer. On most circuits it's a case of how you put corners together, so I'd say sector one at Suzuka is an example of a very challenging and satisfying area to get right, as is Maggotts-Becketts-Chapel at Silverstone. But if you want to name just one corner that's challenging in itself, the last chicane in Canada is very difficult.

Beer or waffles?
Wojtek Paprota, Poland

[Laughs] That's super-easy. Waffles. I don't do beer. That's strange for a Belgian, I know.

F1R: What do you put on your waffles?

SV: Well, I'm more of a pancake man, to be honest... Nutella or chocolate.

F1R: Nutella? Dangerous rocket fuel...

SV: I know, but it's so good!

Are you ready to lead a team like McLaren if Fernando decides to drive elsewhere?
Iqbal Rizal, Malaysia

Oh yes, 100%. I've been with McLaren for four years and I feel very much at home here, and all the work I'm doing back at the factory is paying off. I think the team fully trusts my ability and commitment.

Who will be world champions first, you and McLaren, or the Belgian football team?
Victor Van Poucke, Belgium

Definitely me! We have some great Belgian football players individually, but the problem is they just can't play well together. So I'll be on my own, doing the job...

Do you really get a McLaren as a company car?
Phil Darby, UK

[Feigns surprise and outrage, then laughs] Yes! I have a black 570S. Although to be honest, I don't use it that much, because you don't use a car that often in Monaco. I'm usually on a bike.

F1R: Black, really? Tough colour to keep clean, and it shows up scratches...

SV: That's okay, it's parked in a garage!

How much have you learnt from Fernando Alonso while competing alongside him?
Michael Levitzky, USA

There's a lot - he's one of the greatest drivers in Formula 1, quick and experienced. It's been good to share a team with him, to see how he approaches a race weekend.

Do you think current F1 tracks with Tarmac runoffs (and thus, 'tracks limits') are an issue? Should F1 bring back gravel traps?
Pierre-Antoine Courtaud-Elsasser, France

Yes. Everyone loves the circuits that are more challenging, where there are walls close by - places like Monaco and Singapore. They give you more of a buzz when you do a proper lap. But, having more run-off is the way F1 is going, and it doesn't mean those circuits are less exciting - it's just different.

If you could invite four legendary Formula 1 drivers for dinner, who would they be?
Clement Bouchet, France

Mika Hakkinen - actually I was at a dinner with him last week anyway, but we were sitting quite far apart. Niki Lauda... hmm, who else? Alain Prost. And I would have said Ayrton, but...

F1R: Yes, no longer here. But if he were...

SV: Yes, definitely. Maybe Bruce McLaren as well. He sounds like he was a character.

If you could drive any F1 car from history, which would you choose and why?
Stuart Hilton, UK

The 1988 McLaren MP4/4. It's the greatest F1 car. I've driven it already at Goodwood and some McLaren events, but it's a classic. I'd drive it any day.

Fernando was granted permission to do the Indy 500. Which other racing event would you like to take part in?
AR King, UK

Not right now, but maybe one day, after my F1 career is over... I'd do Bathurst. It's a mega track.