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Vandoorne ignores Verstappen benchmark test

Stoffel Vandoorne says he isn't worried about being compared to Max Verstappen in his rookie F1 season as he focuses on building his McLaren-Honda team around him.

The Belgian driver is preparing for his first full season in F1 having made his debut as stand-in for Fernando Alonso at last year's Bahrain Grand Prix when the Spanish driver was injured after his horror crash in Australia.

After fellow Benelux resident Verstappen stormed into the F1 limelight in his rookie year in 2015 and followed it up with a rapid promotion to Red Bull Racing and his maiden F1 Grand Prix win last year, Vandoorne has been given the benchmark to match the Dutchman's record. 

Despite admiring Verstappen's exploits over the past two years, Vandoorne has shaken off any comparisons and is purely concentrating on bedding himself into the McLaren-Honda set-up alongside Alonso before worrying about immediate results.

"I think a lot of people are talking about Max but to be honest that's the least of my worries," Vandoorne said. "I'm really concentrating on myself, on the team, McLaren Honda trying to build a very good group around myself and making sure that we build a future."

Vandoorne says he'd prefer to compared fairly against team-mate Alonso and hopes to build a strong working relationship with the two-time F1 world champion.

"I have a big team-mate in Fernando Alonso and he will be a very good benchmark for me but I am not focusing on Fernando," he said. "I want to build a strong team around myself and prepare for the future.

"I am confident if I put everything together from my side, not make any silly mistakes then the results will ultimately follow. I am confident in my capabilities and we will have to see if that gives us a result."

Alonso's last rookie F1 team-mate was a decade ago when Lewis Hamilton stepped up to McLaren in 2007 but the pair's relationship deteriorated rapidly and the Spanish driver swiftly left for Renault at the end of the season.

Zdroj: crash.net