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Vandoorne is testing for an IndyCar seat at McLaren, as is Hulkenberg

Vandoorne is testing for an IndyCar seat at McLaren, as is Hulkenberg

27-10-2021 08:28 Last update: 10:43
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GPblog.com

Like Nico Hulkenberg, Stoffel Vandoorne will also make his appearance during an Indycar test for McLaren. The team is looking for a third driver and is considering all its options.

IndyCar project of McLaren

Hulkenberg was last week seen during an IndyCar test at the Barber Motorsports Park. McLaren wants to expand the current team of two drivers to three and Hulkenberg seems an option. The German isn't the only one though, as the Arrow McLaren SP project's top man tells us that Vandoorne will also get a test.

''We’ve been public in saying that our ambition is to be a three-car team in ’23, so I think we’re looking at ’22 as a bridge year. So we’re not committing to anything at this point, but we’re evaluating all options at the same time,'' Taylor Kiel told Racer.com. The test of Vandoorne was therefore completely logical for Kiel.

Vandoorne to America

''Stoffel has obviously got some connections with the team and is actively engaged with the team as a reserve driver, so that was kind of a no-brainer. I think we’ll try to do something with him.'' Vandoorne is officially Mercedes' reserve driver, but Mercedes shares the reserve drivers (Nyck de Vries and Vandoorne) with McLaren.

''He’s certainly a talented race driver, but we’ve had people reaching out from all over the place. It’s an exciting time, for us as a team and an organization it’s just the growth trajectory that we’re on at the moment. So a lot to digest, a lot to go through, but certainly a lot of exciting prospects.'', concludes Kiel.