Stoffel Vandoorne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stoffel Vandoorne
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Vandoorne at the 2023 Berlin ePrix
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| Born | 26 March 1992 Kortrijk, West Flanders, Belgium
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| Formula E career | |
| Debut season | 2018–19 |
| Current team | Maserati MSG |
| Car no. | 5 (2018–2022) 1 (2022–2023) 2 (2023–present) |
| Former teams | HWA, Mercedes, DS Penske |
| Starts | 79 |
| Championships | 1 (2021–22) |
| Wins | 3 |
| Podiums | 16 |
| Poles | 8 |
| Fastest laps | 3 |
| Finished last season | 10th (61 pts) |
| FIA World Endurance Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2018–19 |
| Current team | Peugeot TotalEnergies |
| Racing licence |  FIA Platinum |
| Car no. | 94 |
| Former teams | SMP, Jota |
| Starts | 16 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 7 |
| Poles | 2 |
| Fastest laps | 1 |
| Best finish | 2nd in 2021 (LMP2) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Belgian |
| Active years | 2016–2018 |
| Teams | McLaren |
| Car number | 2 |
| Entries | 42 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 26 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 2019, 2021, 2024 |
| Teams | SMP, Jota, Peugeot |
| Best finish | 3rd (2019) |
| Class wins | 0 |
| Previous series | |
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| Championship titles | |
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Stoffel Vandoorne (born March 26, 1992) is a Belgian racing driver. He races in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Peugeot and in Formula E for Maserati. Stoffel competed in Formula One from 2016 to 2018. He won the 2021–22 Formula E World Championship with Mercedes.
Stoffel grew up in Kortrijk, West Flanders, Belgium. He started karting when he was six years old. Even though he didn't always have enough money, Stoffel did very well in karting. He then moved up to bigger racing cars in 2010. He won his first championship in the 2010 F4 Eurocup. After that, he raced in Formula Renault, winning the Eurocup in 2012. He finished second in the 3.5 Series in 2013.
Stoffel joined the GP2 Series in 2014. He finished second in his first year. The next year, in 2015, he won the championship! He set new records with seven wins and 16 podium finishes. Stoffel was part of the McLaren Young Driver Programme since 2013. He made his Formula One debut with McLaren in 2016. He filled in for an injured Fernando Alonso and scored points in his very first race. He raced full-time with Alonso in 2017 and 2018. After leaving McLaren, he became a reserve driver for other Formula One teams.
In 2018, Stoffel moved to Formula E. This is a racing series for electric cars. He got his first pole position in Hong Kong. In 2019-2020, he raced for Mercedes. He finished second in the championship and won his first Formula E race. In 2021, he also started racing sports cars. In 2021-2022, he won the Formula E World Championship with Mercedes. He had eight podium finishes that season, including a win in Monaco. For 2022-2023, he moved to DS Penske. He later joined Maserati. Stoffel also joined the Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar project in 2023.
Contents
Stoffel's Early Life and Karting Journey
Stoffel Vandoorne was born in Kortrijk, Belgium. When he was six, his father took him to a kart track. The owner of the track gave him a mini-kart, and that's how Stoffel started karting.
At first, Stoffel could only race a few times a year because of money. But by age 16, he became the Belgian KF2 Champion. In 2009, he finished second in the CIK-FIA World Cup. He also won a special competition that gave him 45,000 euros. This money helped him start his car racing career in the F4 Eurocup 1.6.
Stoffel's Junior Racing Success
Racing in Formula Renault
Winning the F4 Eurocup in 2010
In 2010, Stoffel moved to single-seater racing in the F4 Eurocup 1.6 series. He won the championship on his first try! He had six wins and three other podium finishes. Winning this series helped him move up to the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 the next year. He also joined the FIA Driver Academy.
Competing in 2011
In 2011, Stoffel raced in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. He finished fifth overall, with one podium finish. He also raced in the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup, where he finished third.
Becoming Eurocup Champion in 2012
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Stoffel stayed in the Eurocup for the 2012 season. He won the championship after a close fight with Daniil Kvyat. Stoffel had four wins and six podiums that season. He also won five of the seven races he started in the Northern European Cup.
Racing in Formula Renault 3.5 in 2013
In 2013, Stoffel raced in Formula Renault 3.5. He finished second to Kevin Magnussen. He won four races and had 10 podium finishes, including a win at his home track, Spa-Francorchamps.
Dominating the GP2 Series
His First GP2 Season in 2014
In 2014, Stoffel started racing in GP2. He won his first race in Bahrain. He then got four pole positions in a row. He won three more races and had six other podium finishes. Even though it was his first year, he finished second in the championship.
Winning the GP2 Championship in 2015
Stoffel raced with ART again in 2015 and was expected to win the title. He won the championship in Sochi. He had five wins, twelve podiums, and four pole positions. Stoffel holds many records in GP2 history, like most wins and most podiums. GP2 later became known as the FIA Formula 2 Championship.
Racing in Super Formula
In 2016, Stoffel raced a Honda in Super Formula for Dandelion Racing. He finished fourth overall. He won two races and got one pole position in wet conditions at Fuji Speedway.
Stoffel's Formula One Career
In February 2013, Stoffel joined McLaren's Young Driver Programme. He was also announced as a third driver for McLaren F1 in 2014.
Racing for McLaren
His F1 Debut in 2016
On March 31, 2016, Stoffel replaced Fernando Alonso at the 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix. Alonso was unable to race after a big accident. Stoffel qualified 12th, ahead of his teammate Jenson Button. He finished 10th and scored a point. He was the first reserve driver to score points on debut since Sebastian Vettel in 2007. McLaren announced that Stoffel would race full-time with Alonso in 2017.
His First Full Season in 2017
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In his first full season with McLaren, Stoffel showed he was a strong rookie. The McLaren car was not very competitive. Stoffel scored 13 points, while Alonso scored 17. The car often had problems, leading to him not finishing many races. However, he managed to finish in the top 10 in Hungary, Malaysia, and Singapore. McLaren kept him for the 2018 season.
The 2018 Season
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Stoffel started the 2018 season well, scoring points in three of the first four races. But as the season went on, he found it hard to keep up the good results. He ended the season with 12 points. The McLaren car was still not very competitive. Stoffel left McLaren at the end of the 2018 season.
Being a Reserve Driver (2020–2022)
Stoffel was a simulator driver for McLaren in 2020. He was also a reserve driver for the team in 2021.
Working with Mercedes
Stoffel was a simulator driver for Mercedes in 2019. He became a reserve driver for them in 2020. He also drove for Mercedes in a young drivers' test. Stoffel was also a reserve driver for Racing Point and McLaren through an agreement with Mercedes.
Joining Aston Martin (2023–Present)
Stoffel joined Aston Martin for the 2023 season as a reserve and simulator driver. He shared these duties with Felipe Drugovich. He also remained a reserve driver for McLaren. In August, Stoffel drove the Aston Martin AMR23 car for a tire test. He continued as a reserve driver for Aston Martin in 2024.
Stoffel's Formula E Career
Racing for HWA (2018–2019)
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In October 2018, it was confirmed that Stoffel would drive for HWA Racelab in the 2018–19 Formula E season. He started his Formula E debut just three weeks after leaving Formula 1. He got his first pole position in Formula E at the wet 2019 Hong Kong ePrix. He had to stop during that race due to a car problem. He finished third in the 2019 Rome ePrix, which was his first podium in Formula E. He finished his first season in 16th place.
Racing for Mercedes-EQ (2019–2022)
The 2019–20 Season
In the 2019–20 season, Stoffel drove for Mercedes-Benz EQ. He got two podiums in the first two races. After the season was paused due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, he finished in the points in four of the six races in Berlin. He won his first race in the season finale. He finished second in the championship.
The 2020–21 Season
Stoffel continued with the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team for the 2020–21 season. He won one race at the 2021 Rome ePrix and had two third-place finishes. His teammate won the Drivers' Championship, and together they helped Mercedes win their first Teams' Championship.
Becoming World Champion in 2021–22
Stoffel continued with Mercedes-EQ for the 2021–22 Formula E World Championship. This was Mercedes' last season in Formula E. Stoffel started strong, getting pole position in the first race. He finished second in that race. He got another podium in Rome. The highlight was his first win of the season in Monaco. He also got two third-place finishes in Berlin.
Stoffel then got more points in Jakarta and Marrakesh. His rivals had a tough time in New York City, which helped Stoffel move to the top of the standings. In London, he came back from 13th to fourth place. This put him 36 points ahead of his closest rival, Mitch Evans. In the final race in Seoul, Stoffel finished second, winning the World Championship! This brought Mercedes their second drivers' and teams' world championship.
Racing for DS Penske (2023–2024)
The 2022–23 Season
In October 2022, Stoffel joined the new DS Penske team. The new Formula E Gen3 cars were a challenge for the team. Stoffel had a tough season with no podiums, which was a first for him in Formula E. He got one pole position in São Paulo. He finished eleventh in the standings.
The 2023–24 Season
Stoffel stayed with DS Penske for the 2023–24 Formula E season. He left the team after two seasons.
Joining Maserati (2024–Present)
The 2024–25 Season
Stoffel will switch to Maserati MSG Racing for the 2024–25 Formula E World Championship.
Stoffel's Sportscar Racing Career
Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship
Racing in 2019
In April 2019, Stoffel raced in two WEC races for SMP Racing. He drove the Russian BR1 No.11 car. He finished third in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and also third at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Racing in 2023
For 2023, Stoffel became the reserve driver for Peugeot Sport in the Hypercar category. He filled in for an injured driver at the 2023 6 Hours of Fuji and finished seventh.
Racing in 2024
Stoffel will race full-time with Peugeot Sport in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship.
Images for kids
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Vandoorne at the 2023 Berlin ePrix
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FIA Platinum Driver
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Vandoorne (behind) racing Daniil Kvyat (front) in Formula Renault in 2012
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Vandoorne racing at the Silverstone round of the 2014 GP2 Series
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Vandoorne on his F1 debut, driving for McLaren at the 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix
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Vandoorne driving for McLaren at the 2017 British Grand Prix
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Vandoorne at the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix
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Vandoorne at the 2019 Hong Kong ePrix
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Vandoorne during testing in Valencia in December 2021
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Vandoorne during the 2023 Berlin ePrix
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Vandoorne at the 2024 Tokyo ePrix
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Vandoorne at the 2019 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
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The #94 Peugeot 9X8 driven by Vandoorne, Di Resta and Duval at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans
See also
In Spanish: Stoffel Vandoorne para niños
