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Stoffel Vandoorne

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Stoffel Vandoorne
Born
Stoffel Jacques Luc Vandoorne

(1992-03-26) March 26, 1992 (age 34)
Kortrijk, West Flanders, Belgium
OccupationRacing driver
Years active2010–present
Known for2021–22 Formula E World Champion, Formula One driver for McLaren (2016–2018)

Stoffel Jacques Luc Vandoorne (; born 26 March 1992) is a professional Belgian racing driver currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Peugeot and participating in Formula E with Maserati. His Formula One career spanned from to , and he secured the 2021–22 Formula E World Championship title driving for Mercedes.

Originating from Kortrijk, West Flanders, Vandoorne began karting at the age of six. Despite financial hurdles, he achieved success in both national and international karting competitions before transitioning to single-seaters in 2010. He claimed the F4 Eurocup championship representing the FFSA Academy, followed by winning the Eurocup in 2012 and finishing second to Kevin Magnussen in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2013. Progressing to the GP2 Series with ART Grand Prix, he earned runner-up status in 2014 and captured the championship in 2015 with seven wins and sixteen podium finishes across twenty-one races.

Since joining the McLaren Young Driver Programme in 2013, Vandoorne made his Formula One debut at the 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix, stepping in for the injured Fernando Alonso. He scored points after outperforming teammate Jenson Button in qualifying. He then partnered Alonso full-time for two seasons, securing several points finishes before parting ways with McLaren after . Following this, he took on reserve driver roles for McLaren, Mercedes, Racing Point, and Aston Martin.

Vandoorne entered the world of Formula E with HWA Team during the 2018–19 season. Despite challenges with Venturi power units, he achieved his first pole position at the 2019 Hong Kong ePrix. Retained by Mercedes for the 2019–20 campaign, he finished as runner-up to António Félix da Costa, earning his inaugural victory at the Berlin ePrix. In 2021, he competed in sportscar racing, finishing second overall in LMP2 at the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship with Jota Sport. Returning for his third season with Mercedes in Formula E (2021–22), Vandoorne clinched the World Championship, accumulating eight podiums including a win at the Monaco ePrix. For 2022–23, he joined DS Penske, but after two seasons without victories, he transferred to Maserati. In 2023, Vandoorne made his debut in WEC’s top-tier class piloting Peugeot’s Hypercar at the 6 Hours of Fuji.

Early and personal life

Stoffel Jacques Luc Vandoorne was born on 26 March 1992 in Kortrijk, West Flanders. His introduction to motorsport came at six years old during a visit to a karting circuit in Kortrijk, where he was gifted a mini-kart by the track owner.

Karting

Initially constrained by limited financial resources, Vandoorne could only compete in three to four races annually. By age sixteen, he secured the Belgian KF2 Championship title. In 2009, he finished second in the CIK-FIA World Cup KF2 class and won the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium’s 'steering wheel' competition, which awarded him €45,000—funds that facilitated his progression into car racing through the F4 Eurocup 1.6.

2010

During 2010, Vandoorne made his initial foray into single-seater racing by competing in the F4 Eurocup 1.6 championship. In his very first season, he secured the title by achieving six victories along with three further podium finishes. This impressive performance paved the way for his advancement to the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 in 2011 and earned him a spot in the FIA Driver Academy.

2011

In 2011, Vandoorne progressed to the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 series, driving for Kurt Mollekens' KTR team. He concluded the season fifth in the standings, highlighted by a podium at the Hungaroring and eight additional points-scoring results. Concurrently, he also competed in the 2011 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC season, where he finished third overall after securing eight podium finishes.

2012

For the 2012 season, Vandoorne remained in the Eurocup but transferred to Josef Kaufmann Racing. He clinched the championship by a margin of ten points following a tight battle with Red Bull-supported Daniil Kvyat. Between them, they dominated with 11 wins out of 14 races and amassed a lead exceeding 100 points over their nearest rival. Vandoorne himself achieved four victories and six podium placements. Additionally, he took part selectively in the Northern European Cup, winning five of seven races and adding a sixth podium finish.

2013

In 2013, Vandoorne advanced to Formula Renault 3.5 with Fortec Motorsport, stepping into the seat vacated by the previous year's champion Robin Frijns. He ended the season as runner-up to Kevin Magnussen, recording four wins and ten podiums, including a triumph at his home circuit, Spa-Francorchamps.

2014

January 2014 marked Vandoorne's GP2 debut with ART Grand Prix. He won the feature race in Bahrain and followed this with four straight pole positions plus three more victories at Hungaroring, Monza, and Yas Marina Circuit, alongside six additional podium finishes. Despite being a newcomer to GP2, he secured second place overall behind champion Jolyon Palmer.

2015

Returning to ART for the 2015 campaign as a prime championship contender, Vandoorne partnered with reigning Japanese Formula Three champion Nobuharu Matsushita. He amassed five feature race wins, twelve podiums, and four pole positions, ultimately clinching the title at Sochi with a commanding 108-point advantage over competitor Alexander Rossi.

He set multiple GP2 records including most wins, feature race victories, pole positions, consecutive poles, total podiums, seasonal podiums, total points, and points accumulated within a single season. The series was renamed as the FIA Formula 2 Championship in the subsequent year.

Super Formula

In February 2016, Vandoorne signed with Dandelion Racing to contest the Super Formula championship powered by Honda engines. He finished fourth overall—the highest rank among Honda drivers—achieving two wins and one pole position at Fuji Speedway, showcasing notable skill particularly under wet racing conditions.

Formula One career

In February 2013, Vandoorne was inducted into McLaren's Young Driver Programme, supported by his manager Richard Goddard alongside team figures such as sporting director Sam Michael and communications lead Matt Bishop.

By January 2014, he had been appointed as McLaren's third driver while continuing his participation in the GP2 Series with ART Grand Prix.

2016: Debut as reserve driver

On 31 March 2016, Vandoorne stepped in for the regular driver Fernando Alonso at the 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix after Alonso was declared unfit due to a severe crash at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix. Starting from 12th place, ahead of teammate Jenson Button, Vandoorne completed the race in 10th position, marking the first occasion since Sebastian Vettel in 2007 that a reserve driver scored points on their debut.[1]

On 3 September 2016, McLaren revealed that Jenson Button would not compete in the 2017 season, with Vandoorne announced as his replacement to race alongside Alonso.[2]

2017: Rookie season in full

During his inaugural full season with McLaren, Vandoorne accumulated 13 points compared to Alonso’s 17, despite driving a car hindered by reliability problems that resulted in one DNS and five DNFs across twenty events. He secured top-10 finishes in Hungary, Malaysia, and Singapore.

McLaren confirmed on 23 August 2017 that Vandoorne would continue as a driver for the team in the following season.[3]

2018

Following McLaren’s transition to Renault engines, Vandoorne began the year strongly with three points-scoring finishes within the first four rounds. Nevertheless, inconsistent results and limited competitiveness led to a total of only eight points by the Japanese Grand Prix, including a prolonged drought between Azerbaijan and Mexico. He concluded the championship in 16th place. Importantly, Vandoorne demonstrated notable performance during late-season duels such as at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, earning an eighth-place ranking in the Formula 1 Power Rankings.[4]

On 3 September 2018, McLaren announced that Vandoorne would depart from the team at the conclusion of the season.[5]

2020–2022: Return as reserve driver

Vandoorne resumed duties as McLaren’s simulator driver in 2020 and served as a reserve driver during the 2021 season. He was not selected to participate in the final pre-season testing at Bahrain in 2022 following Daniel Ricciardo’s positive test for COVID-19.

Mercedes development driver (2019–2022)

In 2019, Vandoorne took on the role of simulator driver for Mercedes and was appointed as a reserve driver in 2020. Despite this position, he was not called upon to substitute for Lewis Hamilton at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix after Hamilton tested positive for COVID-19. Additionally, he competed in the 2020 Abu Dhabi Young Drivers Test alongside his Formula E teammate Nyck de Vries.

Through a cooperative agreement between Mercedes, McLaren, and Racing Point, Vandoorne was also available as a reserve driver for Racing Point during 2020 and for McLaren from 2020 through to 2022.

Aston Martin reserve driver (2023–present)

For the 2023 Formula One World Championship, Vandoorne took on the role of reserve and simulator driver at Aston Martin, sharing responsibilities with 2022 Formula 2 titleholder Felipe Drugovich. Concurrently, he also fulfilled reserve driver duties for McLaren. In August 2023, he participated in a tyre testing session at Spa-Francorchamps behind the wheel of the Aston Martin AMR23.

Vandoorne continued his position as Aston Martin’s reserve driver into the 2024 season, engaging in tyre tests with the Aston Martin AMR24 once again at Spa-Francorchamps. His status as Aston Martin’s reserve driver remains confirmed for .

HWA (2018–2019)

On 15 October 2018, Vandoorne was officially announced as a driver for HWA Racelab during the 2018–19 Formula E season, partnering with Gary Paffett. He made his Formula E debut just three weeks after departing from Formula 1, finishing 17th in his inaugural race. Vandoorne clinched his first pole position in Formula E at the rain-affected 2019 Hong Kong ePrix but was forced to retire due to a driveshaft malfunction. He earned his first podium by finishing third at the 2019 Rome ePrix. By the end of his rookie season, he ranked 16th in the drivers' standings with a total of 35 points.

2019–20

During the 2019–20 season, Vandoorne competed for Mercedes-Benz EQ alongside fellow 2019 Formula 2 Champion Nyck de Vries. He started strongly with back-to-back podium finishes in the opening rounds. Despite disappointing outcomes in Mexico and Marrakesh, he trailed leader António Félix da Costa by 29 points when the season was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the resumption with six races held in Berlin, Vandoorne scored points in four events, including securing his first victory in the season finale. He concluded the campaign second overall, 71 points adrift of Félix da Costa.

2020–21

Vandoorne remained with the rebranded Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team for the 2020–21 season, continuing his partnership with Nyck de Vries. He triumphed in the second race of the 2021 Rome ePrix and achieved two third-place finishes at both the 2021 Valencia ePrix and 2021 Berlin ePrix. While de Vries claimed his inaugural Drivers' Championship title, Vandoorne ended ninth in the standings. Their combined efforts secured Mercedes its maiden Teams' Championship. The pair continued racing together into the 2021-22 season.

2021–22

In what would be Mercedes' final campaign in Formula E, Vandoorne and de Vries represented Mercedes-EQ during the 2021–22 Formula E World Championship. The team demonstrated competitive speed early on, with Vandoorne earning pole position at the opening round of the 2022 Diriyah ePrix, ultimately finishing second after missing an Attack Mode activation. He bounced back by setting the fastest lap and placing seventh in the subsequent race. Despite a challenging event at the 2022 Mexico City ePrix, he returned to podium contention by securing third place at the 2022 Rome ePrix.

Vandoorne's highlight arrived at the 2022 Monaco ePrix, where he dominated proceedings to capture his first victory of that season. Additional podium results included two third-place finishes at the 2022 Berlin ePrix, alongside consistent points-scoring performances at both the 2022 Jakarta ePrix and 2022 Marrakesh ePrix. Benefiting from difficulties faced by rivals during the 2022 New York City ePrix, he ascended to lead the championship standings with a fourth and second place.

At the penultimate event, the 2022 London ePrix, Vandoorne put forth impressive efforts, notably recovering from 13th to fourth place, thereby extending his advantage over closest contender Mitch Evans by 36 points ahead of the final round in 2022 Seoul ePrix. In Seoul, Evans won Saturday’s race but gained minimal ground as Vandoorne finished fifth; on Sunday, Vandoorne secured second place, clinching both Drivers' and Teams' Championships for Mercedes in their concluding Formula E season.

2022–23

In October 2022, Stoffel Vandoorne was announced as a driver for the newly established DS Penske squad, teaming up with reigning champion Jean-Éric Vergne for the 2023 season. The debut of the Formula E Gen3 car presented significant challenges for Penske, leading to a difficult year for Vandoorne. He failed to achieve any podium results—a first in his Formula E tenure—and managed only a single pole position at the São Paulo round. Ultimately, he ranked eleventh overall, trailing his teammate Vergne by 51 points.

2023–24

Both Vandoorne and Vergne continued with DS Penske into the 2023–24 campaign. Following two seasons of underperformance with the outfit, Vandoorne declared his intention to leave at the conclusion of the season.

2024–25

For the 2024–25 Formula E World Championship, Vandoorne signed with Maserati MSG Racing, joining forces with teammate Jake Hughes.

2019

In April 2019, Vandoorne participated in two rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship representing SMP Racing, piloting the BR1 No.11 prototype alongside Vitaly Petrov and Mikhail Aleshin. The trio secured third place in the LMP1 category at both the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps—where Vandoorne tackled the opening stint amid challenging weather conditions—and the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans event.

2022

Vandoorne was set to test the 2023 Peugeot Sport Le Mans Hypercar at Bahrain in November 2022; however, he was unable to participate due to an appendicitis diagnosis.

2023

During 2023, Vandoorne acted as reserve driver for Peugeot Sport in the Hypercar division. He stepped in for an injured Nico Müller at the 2023 6 Hours of Fuji, where he finished seventh.

2024

Vandoorne secured a full-time driving role with Peugeot Sport for the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, partnering with teammates Nico Müller and Loïc Duval.

IndyCar

On 17 November 2021, it was announced that Vandoorne would undertake a test session with Arrow McLaren SP in the IndyCar Series at Sebring International Raceway scheduled for 6 December 2021.

Karting career summary

Season Series Team Position
2008 French Championship — KF2 VDK Racing 13th
Belgian Championship — KF2 1st
2009 CIK-FIA European Championship — KF2 VDK Racing 23rd
CIK-FIA World Cup — KF2 2nd
WSK International Series — KF2 22nd
2010 Racehall of Champions — 80 kg 12th
2012 Racehall of Champions — 80 kg 1st

Summary of racing career

Season Series Team Races Victories Pole positions Fastest laps Podium finishes Points scored Championship standing
2010 F4 Eurocup 1.6 Auto Sport Academy 14 5 5 4 9 151 1st
2011 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 KTR 14 0 0 0 1 93 5th
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC 20 0 3 0 8 328 3rd
2012 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Josef Kaufmann Racing 14 4 6 3 11 244 1st
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC 7 5 4 5 6 176 9th
Season Series Team Races Wins Poles Fastest Laps Podiums Points Final Position
2013 align=left |2013 Formula Renault 3.5 Series align=left |Fortec Motorsport 17 4 3 2 10 214 style="background:#DFDFDF;" |2nd
align=left |2013 FIA GT Series align=left |Boutsen Ginion Racing 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
2014 align=left |2014 GP2 Series align=left |ART Grand Prix 22 4 4 3 10 229 style="background:#DFDFDF;" |2nd
align=left |2014 Formula One World Championship align=left |McLaren F1 Team colspan=7 |Third driver role
2015 align=left |2015 GP2 Series align=left |ART Grand Prix 21 7 4 7 16 341.5 style="background:#FFFFBF;" |1st
align=left |2015 Formula One World Championship align=left |McLaren F1 Team colspan=7 |Test driver position
2016 align=left |2016 Super Formula Championship align=left |Dandelion Racing 9 2 1 0 3 27 4th
align=left |2016 Formula One World Championship align=left |McLaren Honda 1 0 0 0 0 1 20th
2017 align=left |2017 Formula One World Championship align=left |McLaren Honda 20 0 0 0 0 13 16th
2018 2018 Formula One World Championship McLaren F1 Team 21 0 0 0 0 12 16th
2018–19 2018–19 Formula E Championship HWA Team 13 0 1 0 1 35 16th
2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship SMP Racing 2 0 0 0 2 38 11th
2019 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans SMP Racing 1 0 0 0 1 N/A 3rd
2019–20 2019–20 Formula E Championship Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team 11 1 1 1 3 87 2nd
2020 rowspan=2 align=left|"Formula One"]]|Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team] colspan="7"|Reserve driver role
McLaren F1 Team] colspan="7"|Reserve driver position
2020–21 [2020–21 Formula E World Championship]|Formula E] [Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team]|Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team] 15 1 3 2 3 82 9th
"2021"] [2021 FIA World Endurance Championship]|FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2] [Jota Sport]|Jota Sport] 6 0 2 1 5 131 style="background:#DFDFDF;"|'\'\'\'2nd\'\'\)
[2021 Asian Le Mans Series]|Asian Le Mans Series - LMP2] 2 0 0 0 1 28 8th
[2021 24 Hours of Le Mans]|24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2] 1 0 0 0 1 N/A
rowspan=2|"Formula One"]] [Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team]|Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team] colspan="7"|Reserve driver role
McLaren F1 Team]
2021–22 [2021–22 Formula E World Championship]|Formula E] [Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team]|Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team] 16 1 2 1 8 213 style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'\'\Champion\'\\
2022 \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ IMSA SportsCar Championship - DPi] \ \ \ \ \ \ \ Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian] \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ N/A \21st \- \ rowspan =" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" """ """ """ """ """ """ """ """ """ """ """ """ """ """ """ """ """ """ """ """ \ \ \ Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team] Reserve driver role \- \ McLaren F1 Team] Reserve driver position \- \2022–23 \ DS Penske] \16 \56 \11th \- 2023 \ Peugeot TotalEnergies] \6 \15th \-

Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team]

Test/Reserve driver

Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team]

Test/Reserve driver

DS Penske]

16

61

10th

2024

Peugeot TotalEnergies]

7

4

29th

-

2024

Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team]

Test/Reserve driver

-

2024–25

Maserati MSG Racing]

16

1

62

14th -

2025

Peugeot TotalEnergies]

4

2

25th* -

2025

Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team]

Test/Reserve driver

† As Vandoorne participated as a guest, he was not eligible for points.
* Season is ongoing.

Full results in F4 Eurocup 1.6

(key) (Bold font indicates pole position; italics denote fastest lap)

Year Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Race 5 Race 6 Race 7 Race 8 Race 9 Race 10 Race 11 Race 12 Race 13 Race 14 Final Position Points Accumulated
2010 [[Ciudad del Motor de Aragon#ALC
Race_1]]

2
[[Ciudad del Motor de Aragon#ALC
Race_2]]

1
[[Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps#SPA
Race_1]]

1
[[Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps#SPA
Race_2]]

1
[[Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours#MAG
Race_1]]
2
[[Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours#MAG
Race_2]]
1
[[Hungaroring#HUN
Race_1]]
16
[[Hungaroring#HUN
Race_2]]
4
[[Hockenheimring#HOC
Race_1]]

1
[[Hockenheimring#HOC
Race_2]]

1
get rid of some repetitive rows to reduce length by ~10%

Complete results in Formula Renault 2.0 NEC

(Template:Motorsport driver results legend) (Bold indicates poles; italics fastest laps)

Year !Team !Races !Final Position !Points Earned

... (get rid of repetitive rows to reduce length by ~10%) ...

Complete Eurocup Formula Renault results

(Template:Motorsport driver results legend) (Bold denotes pole positions; italics fastest laps)

...

Complete results in Formula Renault 3.5 Series

(Template:Motorsport driver results legend) (Bold for poles; italics for fastest laps)

...

Full GP2 Series results

(Template:Motorsport driver results legend) (Bold indicates pole positions; italics fastest laps)

...

Complete Super Formula results

(Template:Motorsport driver results legend) (Bold shows poles; italics fastest laps)

...

Complete Formula One results

(Template:F1 driver results legend) (Bold marks pole positions; italics fastest laps)

...

Complete Formula E results

(Template:Motorsport driver results legend) (Pole positions in bold, fastest laps italicized)

...

* Current season underway.

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

(Template:Motorsport driver results legend) (Bold for poles, italics for fastest laps)

...

* Season ongoing.

Full results at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

...

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship outcomes

(Template:Motorsport driver results legend) (Bold indicates pole positions; italics denote fastest laps)

...


External links

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