Stoffel Vandoorne joins Mercedes and Formula E
Without a seat available in F1, Stoffel Vandoorne has decided to turn to another category, Formula E. But within the Mercedes fold, which could open up future opportunities for him.
This may only be a goodbye: Stoffel Vandoorne will no longer be in F1 next season as there is no seat available for a driver who brings very little budget, and McLaren has chosen youth by promoting its latest protégé, Lando Norris.
The option chosen by the Belgian could prove profitable in the long run. Indeed, if he is forced to turn to a new category, he does so by integrating into the program of a manufacturer since HWA is none other than the racing arm of Mercedes.
He will therefore discover this new discipline during season 5, which will begin in December. To prepare for this change in the best possible conditions, he will take the wheel of the new generation this Tuesday for tests in Valencia, before flying to the United States for the Austin Grand Prix.
Now under the umbrella of the star-branded firm, it will be interesting to see if they use it as a laboratory and real-world evaluation before potentially bringing it back to F1. Within the team, he will reunite with a former McLaren member as Gary Paffett, who has just won his second DTM title with Mercedes, will also be preparing for the German manufacturer’s entry as an official team starting from season 6.
It can be noted that once again a young talent cannot stay in F1 and has to turn to FE. Besides Jean-Eric Vergne, pushed out of the Red Bull program in favor of Max Verstappen but crowned in Formula E last season, it is Alex Albon who has also chosen to switch to electric racing with the Nissan team, while he could have been a prime candidate for Toro Rosso, which is lacking drivers.
With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr
