Alonso defends Vandoorne amid Sauber rumour

Fernando Alonso has leapt to the defence of his teammate Stoffel Vandoorne.

It is believed McLaren is considering ousting the struggling Belgian in favour of young charger Lando Norris.

Sauber becoming a force

And Auto Motor und Sport reports that a representative of Vandoorne's management team was spotted in the Sauber motor home at Hockenheim.

READ: Going full circle? Sauber not denying Kimi Raikkonen rumour

The Swiss team is having a surprisingly good 2018 season, with Sauber boss Frederic Vasseur declaring: "We are now interesting for drivers who didn't think of us before."

But Spaniard Alonso says Vandoorne is still doing a good job for McLaren.

He said at Hockenheim that something is wrong with Vandoorne's car lately, adding: "If you look at my previous teammates, they were much further away than Stoffel is.

"In 2014, Kimi was six or seven tenths away in each race. Now it's less.

There's nothing to criticise him (Vandoorne) for. Because of his track record, people should give him time, or remember the results of qualifying from last year or before Silverstone," Alonso said.