McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne says he was disappointed with 12th at the Austrian Grand Prix, feeling points were within reach at the Red Bull Ring.
The Woking-based outfit showed improved pace during practice, before Fernando Alonso and Vandoorne qualified 12th and 13th for the race.
Alonso exited the Austrian GP on lap one after contact with Daniil Kvyat, leaving Vandoorne as the sole McLaren left in the running.
However, he struggled to overtake on the track’s long straights and while battling Renault’s Jolyon Palmer, he picked up a drive-through penalty for ignoring blue flags.
“I’m actually a little bit disappointed with 12th – if you look at the pace we had throughout the race, I think points just might have been possible,” he said.
“And that’s very encouraging.
“Our weekend has generally been quite positive – we had no problems, our pace has been reasonable, and I felt very comfortable with the car.
“Unfortunately, I was stuck behind some cars and it was impossible to overtake – but that’s how it is for us at the moment.
“I got a penalty, but we had to try something, and I don’t think I really lost a lot in terms of the overall result.
“It’s a shame we didn’t score points, but our pace all weekend has been a positive for the whole team.”
