Coming into this new team, which basically has the job of being an advance deployment, gathering a year’s worth of data for Mercedes, who will enter Formula E in the 2019–20 season, Vandoorne himself was a late, almost spontaneous, addition to the line-up. Mercedes have historically liked to enter categories of motorsport by stealth. When it came time to build a Formula One engine, rather than go in with a full-works effort in 1993, they asked Peter Sauber to enter as a privateer, with their logo on the engine cover. Sauber, as he had with Mercedes in Group C sportscars, did a fine job, but when Ron Dennis came calling, that factory-team plan went on the backburner until 2010.

All this history of taking the early steps quietly means that it probably wasn’t on Stuttgart’s agenda to send HWA into Formula E with a high-profile ex-Formula One driver behind the wheel. Given the lack of any panicked interviews from team top brass at recent races, there also seems to be a fairly healthy “never mind the results, we’re still learning” mindset. All those back-of-the-field finishes wouldn’t impress anyone at Mercedes HQ — but that’s exactly why HWA have this learning season with customer Venturi power units — all mileage is good mileage, and they get to run with another PU to see what its baseline is like.

To this note, the plan was probably to enter with Paffett, who probably deserves to be looked-after by Mercedes for the rest of his career on the back of that final DTM title, and a fast peddler with a modest reputation such as Dani Juncadella, the team’s test and reserve driver, and himself a former DTM man. Vandoorne’s abrupt release from McLaren caught much of the sport off-guard, and with other F1 seats at least notionally available at the time, Toto Wolff’s approach in the paddock was speculative, but successful — it seems the Belgian felt he needed a new challenge.

With all this said, coming into Formula E literally weeks after having driven an F1 car in the last race of 2018 in Abu Dhabi meant Vandoorne was still at peak fitness, but that he had not had an off-season, and was probably mentally tired after a long season. While it won’t have affected his, or Paffett’s, performances to a huge degree, the swift transition required from driving in their former categories to piloting a specialised machine with instant torque, on much narrower tracks and against season-one veterans, was not ideal. It meant there was no experienced old hand who could provide benchmark lap times. Both drivers will benefit from this season, followed by a proper break to recharge, run in the simulator, and start 2019–20 at full steam.

Although both Vandoorne and Paffett have made unforced errors and been caught up in avoidable incidents, it would be harsh to blame two rookies for a difficult start, and Wolff will no doubt take this into account when deciding who will drive the Mercedes at the end of the year.

We are not talking about another Jacques Villeneuve here; Vandoorne is the real deal, and is young and flexible enough to adapt to this form of racing. You can bet on Vandoorne, at least, being in a Mercedes at Ad Diriyah 2019— and just like anyone who saw him in GP2, everyone working for the three-pointed star will be totally aware of his value.