McLaren reverts to Vandoorne as F1 reserve driver for Spanish GP
Stoffel Vandoorne will return to being on standby for McLaren on Formula 1 race weekends from the Spanish Grand Prix following the conclusion of the Formula E season
McLaren has no formally-appointed reserve within its team to support full-time drivers Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz Jr., instead holding an agreement to share Mercedes' back-ups if required.
But the team was forced to call on ex-Force India driver and current Sky Sports TV pundit Paul di Resta to be its standby driver for last weekend's 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.
This is because Mercedes reserve Vandoorne was in Berlin racing in Formula E, while it emerged that fellow reserve Esteban Gutierrez was no longer eligible to race in F1.
Gutierrez was considered to deputise for Sergio Perez at Racing Point at Silverstone, but it emerged he must complete 300 km of running in an F1 car as it has been over three years since his last grand prix start.
Di Resta underwent a seat fitting at the McLaren factory in the MCL35 car in case he were to be required as a last-minute stand-in, much as he was for Williams at the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix when Felipe Massa fell ill.
McLaren has now confirmed that it will return to its previous arrangement with Mercedes from this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix as Vandoorne is available once again.
"At the moment our consideration is that we have an agreement with Mercedes regarding the use of their reserve driver in case there's the need on our side," team principal Andreas Seidl explained.
"What was special [last] weekend is that Stoffel Vandoorne was simply unavailable because he is doing Formula E.
"But with Stoffel being available again from Barcelona onwards, that is our main direction."
Vandoorne was a product of McLaren's junior programme, and raced for the team through 2017 and 2018 before being dropped to make way for the line-up of Norris and Sainz.
After leaving McLaren, Vandoorne linked up with Mercedes to join its Formula E team, and took up a reserve driver role on the German marque's F1 project.
Vandoorne's second season in Formula E will come to a close on Thursday in Berlin, after which he will travel to Barcelona to be on standby for both Mercedes and McLaren.
McLaren: Planned F1 windtunnel a year behind schedule
Perez to return to F1 action at Spanish GP after negative COVID test
Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1?
Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1? Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1?
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
How ‘demanding’ Alonso has started life with Aston Martin
How ‘demanding’ Alonso has started life with Aston Martin How ‘demanding’ Alonso has started life with Aston Martin
Friday favourite: The last-all French F1 pairing that reunited a title-winning duo
Friday favourite: The last-all French F1 pairing that reunited a title-winning duo Friday favourite: The last-all French F1 pairing that reunited a title-winning duo
Ranking the 10 best drivers of an F1 junior series stalwart
Ranking the 10 best drivers of an F1 junior series stalwart Ranking the 10 best drivers of an F1 junior series stalwart
Friday favourite: The F1 champion who became a "perfect team-mate"
Friday favourite: The F1 champion who became a "perfect team-mate" Friday favourite: The F1 champion who became a "perfect team-mate"
Brown: Piastri will be on the same pace as Norris at McLaren
Brown: Piastri will be on the same pace as Norris at McLaren Brown: Piastri will be on the same pace as Norris at McLaren
Norris 'not driving at the level I want' with difficult McLaren F1 car
Norris 'not driving at the level I want' with difficult McLaren F1 car Norris 'not driving at the level I want' with difficult McLaren F1 car
Why Piastri being "almost constantly a little unhappy" pre-F1 debut pleases McLaren
Why Piastri being "almost constantly a little unhappy" pre-F1 debut pleases McLaren Why Piastri being "almost constantly a little unhappy" pre-F1 debut pleases McLaren
Albert Park Supercars: Feeney wins strategic finale
Albert Park Supercars: Feeney wins strategic finale Albert Park Supercars: Feeney wins strategic finale
F3 Australia: Bortoleto wins back-to-back feature races
F3 Australia: Bortoleto wins back-to-back feature races F3 Australia: Bortoleto wins back-to-back feature races
IndyCar Texas: Dixon tops final practice at Texas Motor Speedway
IndyCar Texas: Dixon tops final practice at Texas Motor Speedway IndyCar Texas: Dixon tops final practice at Texas Motor Speedway
Espargaro says aggression needed for MotoGP sprint caused Argentina crash
Espargaro says aggression needed for MotoGP sprint caused Argentina crash Espargaro says aggression needed for MotoGP sprint caused Argentina crash
How F1's new era has exposed the downside of its most important rule
How F1's new era has exposed the downside of its most important rule How F1's new era has exposed the downside of its most important rule
What next for Mercedes in its quest to get back to the top of F1?
What next for Mercedes in its quest to get back to the top of F1? What next for Mercedes in its quest to get back to the top of F1?
Why Piastri’s F1 homecoming will be a landmark occasion
Why Piastri’s F1 homecoming will be a landmark occasion Why Piastri’s F1 homecoming will be a landmark occasion
The recent Australian GP form history that will boost Ferrari in F1 2023
The recent Australian GP form history that will boost Ferrari in F1 2023 The recent Australian GP form history that will boost Ferrari in F1 2023
The cycle of F1 upheaval Williams must end to rediscover past glories
The cycle of F1 upheaval Williams must end to rediscover past glories The cycle of F1 upheaval Williams must end to rediscover past glories
The state of play in F1's technical silly season
The state of play in F1's technical silly season The state of play in F1's technical silly season
Ranking the top 10 pre-war grand prix drivers
Ranking the top 10 pre-war grand prix drivers Ranking the top 10 pre-war grand prix drivers
Why drivers are the least of Ferrari’s F1 worries
Why drivers are the least of Ferrari’s F1 worries Why drivers are the least of Ferrari’s F1 worries
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.