Team mates have come and gone for Fernando Alonso who does not sees rookie Stoffel Vandoorne as a major threat… at least not yet.
The last time Alonso was paired with a F1 debutante was in 2007 when the man on the other side of the McLaren garage was none other than Lewis Hamilton, a relationship which did not work out too well for the Spaniard back then.
But the two-time world champion very much doubts that history could repeat itself.
“He (Vandoorne) is not a driver to fight for the title against me now, because our goal is something else,” Alonso said.
” We must fight but also work together and help the team to make this difficult period as short as possible.”
- Vandoorne doubts McLaren win potential in 2017
Alonso insisted however that the situation took nothing away from Vandoorne’s genuine talent.
“He is a very good driver, he brings fresh air, he’s very talented as he demonstrated in GP2 and in Japan last year.
“I remember when I went back to Renault I had Piquet. Then came Grosjean who was also going to be very fast and was not.
“The same happened at Ferrari with Felipe (Massa): he was at Ferrari for many years and he was not faster. Then Kimi (Raikkonen), who everyone said is a world champion but he was not faster.
“So let’s see what happens now. I’m not worried, I’m not afraid,” said Alonso.
GALLERY: F1 drivers’ wives and girlfriends
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter