May 7 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has tipped Stoffel Vandoorne to be a “very good” sports car driver.
Until last year, the pair were teammates at McLaren. Alonso quit to tackle Le Mans and the Indy 500 this year, while Vandoorne was ousted and signed as Mercedes’ Formula E driver.
But Belgian Vandoorne drove for SMP Racing in the top LMP1 class at the Spa 6 hour event last weekend, finishing third. In his Toyota, Alonso won.
“As soon as I read that Stoffel would race at Spa and also Le Mans, I sent him a message,” Alonso told the Belgian broadcaster RTBF.
“I like Stoffel a lot. He is a very good driver but also a good person. I think with this kind of environment in the WEC and with his driving style, he will be very good at it.
“With his talent, his mentality and his intelligence when there is traffic, I think it’s a good championship for him to come up,” Alonso added.