Stoffel Vandoorne to race McLaren in FIA GT finale in Baku
Formula Renault 3.5 runner-up Stoffel Vandoorne will make his sportscar debut in the Baku FIA GT Series finale next month at the wheel of a McLaren MP4-12C


Vandoorne, who is part of the McLaren Formula 1 team's young driver development squad, will contest the Azerbaijan street race on November 24 with the Boutsen Ginion team after taking part in development testing on the GT project during the summer.
McLaren GT team principal Andrew Kirkaldy explained that he had called on the 21-year-old Belgian for testing duties with the new MP4-12C Sprint trackday car.
"During development of the Sprint, we were short of drivers and I spoke to Sam Michael [sporting director at the F1 team]. I also ran into Stoffel at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and he told me that he was interested in having a go in a MP4-12C.
"He came along to a test track in Spain. He ran for three days and didn't put a foot wrong.
"That obviously fired his interest and we received an email from Boutsen asking if we had any objection to him racing at Baku. McLaren is very happy for him to get some more experience."
Vandornne, who tested the GT3 version of the McLaren at Zolder for Boutsen two weeks ago, will share one of two cars entered by the Belgian team at Baku with fellow countryman and Blancpain Endurance Series regular Frederic Vervisch.
"This is quite different from FR3.5, but I'm looking forward to the experience," said Vandoorne.
The second car will be raced by McLaren GT factory driver Alexander Sims and Step Dusseldorp, who were team-mates in Blancpain this year with the Hexis McLaren team.

Hexis GT team set to close after Baku FIA GT Series race
Ratel expects big future for Baku FIA GT round

Latest news
How to get the best out of amateur racers
Pro-Am GT racing is booming. But how should drivers approach working with an amateur? Autosport sought out a panel of experts to explain the pitfalls amateur drivers should avoid and how professionals can help them to achieve their goals
The remarkable career of a 'classy' champion who rejected politics
Over two decades as a factory driver with Audi and BMW, Martin Tomczyk earned the respect of team-mates and rivals as a hard but fair racer. After calling time on his racing career, the 2011 DTM champion sat down with Autosport to look back
The ex-IndyCar racer in "uncharted territory" of British GT team ownership
This weekend’s British GT finale will be a tense title showdown for some but, for those not in the championship fight, it’s a chance to end a challenging year on a high. In the latter camp is Paddock Motorsport's team owner Martin Plowman, whose 2021 season has been a rollercoaster ride of non-stop learning
The unpopular BMW stalwart built for the big occasion
It has won most of the big prizes in endurance racing across its six years in service, but the BMW M6 GT3's key weaknesses meant only a devoted few teams persisted with running it. As it prepares to bow out at season's end, the teams and drivers involved in its story share the secrets of an unpopular winner
The unwanted GT car that changed sportscar racing forever
Had FIA GT boss Stephane Ratel had his way, the Maserati MC12 would never have been allowed to set foot in his series. It duly proved the class of the field that most had expected, but the Balance of Performance that its superiority spawned would keep GT1 battles tight and bring long-term benefits that sportscar racing enjoys today
Why Britain's greatest sportscar was eclipsed on the world stage
The E-Type may be the most famous of all road-going Jaguars, but that didn't always translate into success on the track. After winning on its competition debut in 1961, motorsport success seemed an inevitability, but things didn’t turn out to be quite that straightforward
Why the Jaguar E-type remains special at 60
It’s 60 years since the Jaguar E-type arrived and caused a sensation. As our resident racer Ben Anderson discovered when he got behind the wheel of two special racing versions at Brands Hatch, the thrill of driving them hasn't diminished over time
The rise of a GT squad responsible for a unique 24-hour racing feat
It's a significant achievement to win one 24-hour race in a year, let alone two, and with different manufacturers, but that's exactly what ROWE Racing did in 2020 at the Nurburgring and Spa. This weekend's German classic offers the DTM newcomer a chance of another unique double to add to its growing collection of accolades