F1: Stoffel Vandoorne's overtaking spree at Mexico was masterclass in worn out tyres

What's the story?

The Mexican Grand Prix is done and dusted, and despite a heroic drive from Sebastian Vettel to finish second, he couldn't stop Lewis Hamilton from clinching the World Championship.

Max Verstappen won the race, but a story was developing further down the field, with McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne finishing eighth and claiming his first points since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Video footage of the sensational drive from Vandoorne has emerged, and it highlights just how brilliantly he managed to overtake his opponents to get to where he did.

#F1 All the overtakes by @svandoorne at the #MexicoGP https://t.co/aWKj14F3C0

— Owen Davies (@f1mclarenfan) October 30, 2018

In case you didn't know...

Stoffel Vandoorne is out of a drive next season in Formula One and is expected to head to Formula E instead. His place will be taken by Carlos Sainz who is currently driving for Renault. Despite proving his worth in the lower divisions, Stoffel has struggled to score points this season largely due to the unreliability of McLaren.

The heart of the matter

The video above shows his sensational overtaking maneuvers to head up the field, but what might be missed is the fact that the Belgian was on a single stop strategy at a time when it seemed almost impossible to last the length of the race.

Vandoorne was somehow able to maintain his tyres long enough to make them run till the end and ensure a comfortable points score for his team after Fernando Alonso was forced to retire early on. An image of his tyres after the race shows just how well the young driver managed his rubber to make it last all the way.

Stoffel crosses the line in P8 at the #MexicoGP. 🏁👊A stellar drive from @svandoorne and a solid team strategy sees us bring home points from Mexico City. 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/mNRYOpEzJa

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) October 28, 2018

What's next?

The F1 calendar heads to Brazil next and McLaren will be hopeful of another strong showing there so as to end the campaign on a high.

What did you think of Vandoorne's performance? Let us know in the comments.