Stoffel Vandoorne had hoped that he would be allowed to drive the W11 this weekend during the second Grand Prix in Bahrain. Toto Wolff chose George Russell to replace Lewis Hamilton, who was infected with the coronavirus. The team boss of Mercedes explains that there were no firm agreements why with Vandoorne.
“Stoffel is doing great in Formula E and has done a perfect job this year as our reserve driver”, Wolff is quoted by Racefans.net. The 48-year-old chief can understand very well that Vandoorne is disappointed that he is not allowed to take action this weekend. “We understand and respect that. He’s a racer and we don’t expect him to be jumping for joy.”
According to the top man of the German race team, Vandoorne has reacted neatly internally to the fact that the choice fell on George Russell. “He’s also pragmatic and understands the reasons for our decision. As reserve driver, you go into the season knowing that you could be called on to race, but that it’s not a guarantee and also that you have a role to play away from the track in the simulator and doing development work,” Wolff explains.
Finally, all the Austrian has left is praise for Vandoorne. “Stoffel has done a great job with that, as well as his main role in Formula E, where they have just completed pre-season testing. He’s an important part of the motorsport family at Mercedes and a top team player.”
