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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Stoffel Jacques L. Vandoorne
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 | 103 |
| Championships | 1 (2021–22) |
| Wins | 4 |
| Podiums | 17 |
| Poles | 8 |
| Fastest laps | 3 |
| Finished last season | 14th (62 pts) |
| Last updated on: 28 July 2025. | |
| 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 | 20 |
| 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 |
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Stoffel Vandoorne is a Belgian racing driver. He competes in two major racing series: Formula E for Maserati and the FIA World Endurance Championship for Peugeot. He is best known for winning the 2021–22 Formula E World Championship with the Mercedes team. Before that, he also raced in Formula One from 2016 to 2018.
Stoffel was born and grew up in Kortrijk, West Flanders, Belgium. He started karting when he was just six years old. Even though he sometimes struggled to find enough money for racing, he became very successful in karting. He then moved on to bigger racing cars in 2010.
Contents
Early Life and How He Started Racing
Stoffel Jacques L. Vandoorne was born on March 26, 1992, in Kortrijk, Belgium. When he was six, he visited a kart track with his dad. The owner of the track gave him a small kart, and that's how Stoffel's racing journey began.
Junior Racing Career
Karting Success
At first, Stoffel could only race a few times a year because of money. But he was very talented! By the time he was 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 racing in bigger cars.
Formula Renault Races
Winning in 2010
In 2010, Stoffel started racing in single-seater cars in the F4 Eurocup 1.6 series. He won the championship in his very first try! He had six wins and three other podium finishes. The prize money from this win helped him move up to the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 series.
Moving Up in 2011
In 2011, he joined the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. He finished fifth overall, getting one podium finish. He also raced in the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup, where he finished third with eight podiums.
Becoming Champion in 2012
Stoffel stayed in the Eurocup in 2012 and won the championship! It was a close fight with Daniil Kvyat. Stoffel won four races and had six podium finishes that season. He also won five out of seven races he started in the Northern European Cup.
Finishing Second in 2013
In 2013, Stoffel raced in Formula Renault 3.5. He finished second in the championship, winning four races and getting on the podium 10 times. One of his wins was at his home track, Spa-Francorchamps.
GP2 Series Achievements
Strong Start in 2014
In 2014, Stoffel started racing in the GP2 Series. He won his very first race in Bahrain. He then got four pole positions (starting from the front of the grid) 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.
Championship Win in 2015
Stoffel raced with ART again in 2015 and was expected to win the title. He did! He won the championship in an amazing way, with seven victories and 16 podiums out of 21 races. He holds many records in GP2 history, like most wins and most podiums in a season. The GP2 Series is now called the FIA Formula 2 Championship.
Super Formula Racing
In 2016, Stoffel raced in Japan's Super Formula series with Honda. He finished fourth overall, which was the best result for a Honda engine user that year. He won two races and got one pole position.
Formula One Career
In 2013, Stoffel joined McLaren's Young Driver Programme, which helps young drivers become Formula One stars. In 2014, he also became a third driver for the McLaren F1 team.
Racing for McLaren
First Race in 2016
On March 31, 2016, Stoffel got a big chance! He replaced Fernando Alonso at the 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix because Alonso was injured. Stoffel qualified 12th and finished 10th, scoring a point in his very first F1 race. He was the first reserve driver to score points on debut since Sebastian Vettel in 2007.
Later that year, McLaren announced that Stoffel would become a full-time driver for the 2017 season, racing alongside Fernando Alonso.
Full Season in 2017
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In his first full season with McLaren in 2017, Stoffel showed he was a strong rookie. The McLaren car wasn't very fast or reliable that year. Still, Stoffel managed to score 13 points. He finished in the top 10 in Hungary, Malaysia, and Singapore. McLaren decided to keep him for the 2018 season.
The 2018 Season
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In 2018, McLaren started using Renault engines. Stoffel had a good start, scoring points in three of the first four races. However, the car's performance dropped, and he struggled to score more points for a long time. He finished the season in 16th place. On September 3, 2018, McLaren announced that Stoffel would leave the team at the end of the season.
Reserve Driver Role (2020–2022)
After leaving his full-time F1 seat, Stoffel became a simulator driver for McLaren in 2020. He was also a reserve driver for McLaren from 2021 to 2022.
Mercedes and Aston Martin Roles
Stoffel also worked as a simulator driver for the Mercedes team from 2019. He was a reserve driver for them in 2020. He also served as a reserve driver for Racing Point and Aston Martin through agreements with Mercedes.
Since 2023, Stoffel has been a reserve and simulator driver for Aston Martin. He continues in this role for the 2025 Formula One season.
Formula E Career
Racing for HWA (2018–2019)
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In October 2018, Stoffel joined HWA Racelab for the 2018–19 Formula E season. This was just three weeks after his last Formula One race! He got his first pole position in Formula E at the 2019 Hong Kong ePrix. He also earned his first podium finish by coming third at the 2019 Rome ePrix. He finished his first season in 16th place.
Success with Mercedes-EQ (2019–2022)
2019–20 Season
For the 2019–20 season, Stoffel moved to the Mercedes-Benz EQ team. He had two podium finishes right away. After the season restarted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he won his first Formula E race at the final event in Berlin. He finished second in the championship that year.
2020–21 Season
Stoffel continued with Mercedes-EQ for the 2020–21 season. He won one race at the 2021 Rome ePrix and had two third-place finishes. His teammate, Nyck de Vries, won the Drivers' Championship, and together they helped Mercedes win their first Teams' Championship.
Becoming World Champion in 2021–22
Stoffel and Nyck de Vries continued with Mercedes-EQ for the 2021–22 Formula E World Championship, which was Mercedes' last season in Formula E. Stoffel started strong, getting pole position in the first race. He won his first race of the season at the 2022 Monaco ePrix. He also had two third-place finishes in Berlin.
Stoffel kept scoring points in other races, including Jakarta and Marrakesh. At the 2022 New York City ePrix, he finished fourth and second, which put him at the top of the standings. At the final event in Seoul, Stoffel finished second, which was enough to win the Formula E World Championship! He brought a second drivers' and teams' world championship to Mercedes.
Racing for DS Penske (2023–2024)
In October 2022, Stoffel joined the new DS Penske team for the 2023 season. The new Gen3 cars were a challenge for the team. Stoffel did not get any podiums that season, which was a first for him in Formula E. He finished 11th in the standings. He continued with DS Penske for the 2023–24 season. He left the team after two seasons.
Joining Maserati (2024–present)
Stoffel moved to Maserati MSG Racing for the 2024–25 season. He is racing alongside Jake Hughes.
Sportscar Racing Career
FIA World Endurance Championship
Racing in 2019
In April 2019, Stoffel announced he would race in two events in the WEC for SMP Racing. He drove the Russian BR1 prototype car. He finished third in both the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Peugeot Hypercar Project
In 2023, Stoffel became a reserve driver for Peugeot Sport in the Hypercar category. He filled in for an injured driver at the 2023 6 Hours of Fuji, finishing seventh. For 2024, Stoffel is racing full-time with Peugeot Sport in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship.
Images for kids
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Vandoorne (behind) racing Daniil Kvyat (front) in Formula Renault in 2012
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Vandoorne during testing in Valencia in December 2021
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See also
In Spanish: Stoffel Vandoorne para niños
