McLaren-Honda driver Stoffel Vandoorne revelled in his best ever Formula 1 finish after placing seventh at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Vandoorne started from ninth place but made gains on the dramatic opening lap, and ran inside the top 10 throughout on his first visit to the Marina Bay venue.
Vandoorne lost time due to a slow left-front tyre change at his second stop and attempted to overhaul Jolyon Palmer for sixth, but the Renault racer held firm, leaving Vandoorne seventh.
“To race under the rain at the beginning was definitely not easy, so my main focus was just to stay out of trouble, which we managed to do,” said Vandoorne.
“From that point on, I just managed my own race, and I think seventh place was really the best it was going to get for me.
“Sixth was perhaps on the cards at one point, but it didn’t work out at my second pit-stop.
“After that, I just focused on getting everything I could from the car and maximising the performance.
“Getting a couple of points meant we finished our weekend on a high.”
Racing Director Eric Boullier that a front jack failure was to blame for Vandoorne’s six-second delay in the pits.
“Stoffel finished a magnificent seventh, battling throughout and really maximising the potential of our car whether he was running Full Wets, Intermediates or Option tyres,” said Boullier.
“We think sixth was within our reach had he not been delayed at his second pit-stop.
“The front jack failed to engage properly, which meant the left-front wheel wasn’t lifted off the floor properly, which resulted in a slow removal.
“That delay meant he wasn’t able to close on Palmer despite a spirited chase.”
Vandoorne was the only McLaren driver to reach the chequered flag, after team-mate Fernando Alonso retired in the wake of damage sustained on the opening lap.
McLaren still holds ninth in the Constructors’ Championship, with its points tally now boosted to 17.
