McLaren F1 reserve Stoffel Vandoorne seals Honda Super Formula seat
McLaren Formula 1 reserve Stoffel Vandoorne has completed his deal to race in Japan's Super Formula series in 2016
The reigning GP2 champion will line up with the Honda-powered Dandelion team that he tested with at Suzuka last year.
Vandoorne, whose drive was announced as part of Honda's confirmation of its 2016 motorsport plans, recently said he hoped combining racing in Japan with McLaren testing duties would ensure he stayed "race sharp" while waiting for an F1 seat.
"They have great cornering speed which I think is good preparation for 2017," he said of the Super Formula machines.
The 2016 Super Formula calendar has two clashes with F1, meaning Vandoorne would potentially not be available for stand-in duties with McLaren at the Monaco and Mexican Grands Prix.
McLaren racing director Eric Boullier told Autosport last year that Super Formula was the team's preference for Vandoorne's 2016 racing programme.
"There are two objectives: one is to get the speed and the fitness for the driver and the other is the Super Formula car has a lot of grip, which is good preparation," he said.
"It is better to be a third driver here and racing than doing something else."
Vandoorne replaces ex-F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan in the Dandelion squad and lines up alongside series regular Tomoki Nojiri.
Japan's leading single-seater category features engine competition between Honda and Toyota, but was dominated by Toyota last season.
Toyota-powered drivers won seven of the eight races and swept the top four positions in the championship, with Team Mugen driver Naoki Yamamoto Honda's only winner and top scorer in fifth in the standings.
Previous article
FIA lends backing to UAE Formula 4 championship to start in October
Next article
BTCC champion and touring car legend Rickard Rydell retires
About this article
| Series | General |
LEGO Ferrari 488 GTE
Why Campos Never Made It Into Formula 1
The F1 and Indy 'nearly man' that found contentment in Japan
Having had the door to F1 slammed in his face and come within three laps of winning the Indianapolis 500, the collapse of a Peugeot LMP1 shot meant Japan was Bertrand Baguette's last chance of a career. But it's one which he has grasped with both hands
The female all-rounder who arrived "too early"
From Formula 3 to truck racing, Dakar and EuroNASCAR via a winning stint in the DTM, there's not much Ellen Lohr hasn't seen in a stellar racing career that highlights the merit in being a generalist. But she believes her career came too early...
How Radical's latest machines fare on track
The lightweight sportscar manufacturer has not rewritten the rulebook with its latest machines, but the new SR3 XX and SR10 still provide a step forward on its previous successful models
The real-life racing rogues stranger than fiction
The forthcoming Netflix film linking the world of underworld crime and motorsport plays on a theme that isn't exactly new. Over the years, several shady figures have attempted to make it in racing before their dubious dealings caught up with them
How a GP is thriving in a COVID-free territory
The New Zealand Grand Prix's mix of rising talent and big-name stars thrilled the crowds (yes, remember crowds?) assembled for the Toyota Racing Series meeting at Hampton Downs last weekend and left distant observers craving a repeat
How a much-changed Macau GP kept the party going
OPINION: The 67th edition of the Macau Grand Prix might have been a largely muted affair to the outside world without its international influx and star line-ups, another victim to the COVID-19 pandemic, but organisers deserve huge credit for keeping the party going
Engineer's view: Motorsport's revolutionary braking tool
Although brake pressure and temperature logging is commonplace, measuring and understanding braking performance hasn't been so straightforward. But that's about to change following the introduction of a groundbreaking new sensor
The high-tech materials helping Renault in its F1 rise
The Renault F1 team is at the vanguard of innovative solutions pushing development of the V6 turbo hybrid engine rules, embracing the full potential of material science in its bid to get back to the top
