Vandoorne: I have to be ready to ride at any moment

The Belgian Grand Prix is ​​the home stage for Stoffel Vandoorne. The Aston Martin reserve driver is with the team this weekend and in an interview with the team’s press office he explained what his role is.

Q: What do you do as a reserve driver?
Stoffel Vandoorne: I’ve been doing a lot of simulator work lately. Earlier this week I assessed the correlation between the data collected at the last round in Hungary and then concentrated on the preparations for Spa.

The team has done a great job preparing new items for Hungary. We managed to do them before the summer break, so now we have more time to analyze and unlock the potential after the break.

After the summer break I will not be racing in Formula E anymore because the season is over, so I will have more time to work with the team. We will continue to attack in the second half of the season to close the gap to the leaders.

Q: You’re coming to Spa with the team. What’s your work schedule during a race weekend?
Stoffel Vandoorne: I will do everything Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso do, except driving the car, and must be ready at any time to get behind the wheel if necessary.

On Tuesday and Wednesday after the Grand Prix I have Pirelli tyre tests waiting for me, so I will be as involved as possible in the team’s work to prepare myself as best as possible for the tests.

Q: What do you expect from the upcoming tests?
Stoffel Vandoorne: It’s always great to drive a Formula 1 car; no technology can compare to it. It’s been a year since I drove the AMR23 at Spa and it was raining heavily. According to the weather forecast, sunny weather is expected this time, so I can work hard.

Driving a Formula 1 car is the best experience you can have and I am ready to get back in the cockpit. I am excited to drive the AMR24 for the first time and am ready to get started next week.