Aston Martin driver open to Max Verstappen endurance partnership: 'I wouldn't say no'

Aston Martin test and reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne has revealed he "wouldn't say no" to partnering Max Verstappen in an endurance race. 

Alongside his F1 commitments with Red Bull, Verstappen spent this year taking several major steps towards a possible career in endurance racing. 

The four-time F1 world champion gained the necessary license to compete in GT3s at the Nordschleife, going on to claim victory at the iconic venue on his NLS debut in the category.

Verstappen has ambitions of competing in the likes of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of the Nordschleife, possibly as soon as 2026 for the latter. 

He is a complete motorsport fanatic, with Vandoorne revealing how the 28-year-old keeps track of every series.

"Max also follows everything," Vandoorne told Motorsport.com. "He knows everything about everyone, what the results are, how the race went and so on. 

"He has a very big passion for the sport in general. That's why you sometimes see him driving GT3s. Anything that has four wheels, he pretty much tries that."

In addition to his role at Aston Martin, Vandoorne is Jaguar's reserve driver in Formula E but also a Peugeot WEC driver.

He would be very open to his and Verstappen's paths crossing in the likes of Le Mans, and would be keen to partner him.

"It would be nice if we could do Le Mans together in the future, yes. I certainly wouldn't say no to that."

How does Vandoorne view McLaren?

Finally, Vandoorne discusses the progress at McLaren, where he spent his years as an active Formula One driver. 

His role at Aston Martin is not Vandoorne's only F1 experience, having raced for McLaren across the entirety of the 2017 and 2018 seasons – his competitive debut came in the 2016 Bahrain GP.

It was a horrific period for McLaren who fought in the midfield and towards the back of the grid, with Vandoorne describing it as a "crisis phase".

"They have made very big steps forward since then," added Vandoorne. "When I was there, a few years ago, those were probably the worst years as well. We were in a bit of a crisis phase.

"But the progression they've made since then and the stability they have now is very impressive to see. 

"I think they now have much more stability within the team and also really understand what needed to be done with these cars. They are now simply the team to beat in Formula 1."