No ’off season’ for axed F1 driver Vandoorne

There will be no winter ’off season’ for one 2018 F1 driver.

Dropped by McLaren, Stoffel Vandoorne has been snapped up by Mercedes for its new works Formula E effort (pictured above).

That season kicks off next weekend in Saudi Arabia.

"It was a short winter break for me," the Belgian driver laughed to Sporza.

Vandoorne said Formula E will be a "voyage of discovery", and not just for him but also Mercedes’ team HWA.

"During the tests we got an idea of the car, but Valencia is not comparable to the circuits in Formula E," he said.

"I hope it will be a positive story, but we have to be realistic because it is a big adjustment for myself and the team."

Vandoorne, 26, insists Formula E is "not a step back" from F1, as the all-electric series "has a lot of potential to grow".

"The championship has been on only four years and has grown enormously in that time," he added.

For now at least, Vandoorne says he is relieved his F1 adventure is over.

"After my last race in the F1, I was glad that it was over and I was able to start something new in a completely different environment," he said.

"I had two good years at McLaren, but unfortunately it was the worst years in their history, and I couldn’t change much about that from my side."