Stoffel Vandoorne remains upbeat despite enduring a rocky start to his debut Formula E season

Vandoorne made his Formula E debut just three weeks after his final F1 race with McLaren

Stoffel Vandoorne admits his debut ABB FIA Formula E Championship season has been disappointing so far but the former McLaren man remains all smiles thanks to being refreshed by the ‘old school’ attitude of the series.

After Vandoorne had his frustrating two-year spell at McLaren ended late last year he had just three weeks from his final F1 race to his debut in Formula E. Despite impressing in qualifying in the opening Ad Diriyah race he suffered difficulties with his HWA Racelab car and finished 17th.

The following race in Marrakesh was a disaster after he accidentally clashed with teammate Gary Paffett when cars piled up during a chaotic first turn which ended both his and his partner’s race within minutes.

Others might air their frustrations but Vandoorne remains positive ahead of the Santiago E-Prix – which will be broadcast live on BBC Red Button at 7pm – with the weight of his situation at McLaren lifted from his shoulders.

Having swapped the politics of the Formula One paddock to the fierce but friendly competition of Formula E, Vandoorne insists the change has been a positive one.

Vandoorne has endured a difficult start to the season (Getty)

“It’s been a refreshing change for me,” he said. “The environment is nice, it feels a bit more old school in terms how the drivers get on with each other.

“It’s a very different form of racing though and it is taking time to learn as it was a quick turnaround from F1. It’s a lot about energy management through the race which makes the racing actually quite complicated.

“I’m enjoying it though – things like Attack Mode is very different and that is the sort of thing Formula E is trying to do.”

After two races of mayhem to start Season 5 the race series now heads to Santiago in Chile, the scene of the maddest race of Season 4 when DS Techeetah teammates Andre Lotterer and Jean-Eric Vergne went hell for leather at each other on track.

Felipe Massa is also making his debut in competition (EPA)

Having yet to trouble the points Vandoorne and other newbies Felipe Massa and Pascal Wehrlein will be looking to turn their seasons around and show the form which saw them earn drives in both Formula One and Formula E.

Drivers will have their endurance tested due to facing heat of up to 38 degrees on track but despite all the signs pointing towards another frenzied race, Vandoorne is keeping his fingers crossed for a smooth weekend.

“The start of the year has been quite tricky for us in terms of we’ve had a few problems – Marrakesh wasn’t ideal for sure,” added Vandoorne. “Hopefully we get a more clean weekend, a more clean race this time.

“When the events are like this with everything in one day, a small problem can look pretty big. So hopefully we have solved all the problems and little glitches and if we have a smooth weekend we could have some positive surprises.

“It’s important for us to go through the processes, to learn every weekend. The team and I are still new to the series so for us as everything is very new.”