Stoffel Vandoorne, born on March 26, 1992, in Kortrijk, Belgium, joined McLaren’s young driver programme in 2013 and became the team’s third driver in 2014. He made his racing debut at the 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix, stepping in after Fernando Alonso sustained injuries in an accident in Australia. He was Alonso’s teammate at McLaren for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
| Nationality | Belgian |
|---|---|
| Born | Stoffel Vandoorne 26 March 1992 Kortrijk, Belgium |
Outside of F1, Stoffel Vandoorne is a 2022 World Champion in the FIA Formula E championship. Due to financial limitations, his journey into single-seater racing started later than usual, at age 18, but he quickly made his mark by winning two Formula Renault championships in 2010 and 2012 and placing third in another within his first three years.
In 2013, he stepped up to the 3.5-litre Formula Renault, competing against then-McLaren junior Kevin Magnussen. Vandoorne claimed victory in his first race and secured three more wins, including a memorable victory in Belgium, finishing as runner-up in the championship.
He moved to the GP2 Series in 2014 with ART Grand Prix, a team known for nurturing talents like Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. Vandoorne won four races that year, narrowly missing the championship title. Staying with ART in 2015, he dominated the GP2 Series, winning seven races and clinching the championship by a margin of 160 points—a record that stands firm in the history of GP2 and FIA F2.
Despite his dominant performance, Vandoorne didn’t secure a full-time Formula One seat for 2016; instead, he became a test and reserve driver for McLaren and competed in Japan’s Super Formula. He made his F1 debut after Fernando Alonso’s accident at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix. Even without prior experience in that year’s car, he out-qualified teammate Jenson Button and scored a point in his first race in Bahrain.
In 2017, Vandoorne joined McLaren’s F1 lineup, replacing the retiring Button during a challenging period with Honda. Despite the car’s limitations, he managed two seventh-place finishes. In 2018, despite a strong start, McLaren struggled, and Vandoorne finished 16th in the championship, leading to his switch to Mercedes customer team HWA Racelab in Formula E for the late 2018 season before it transitioned to a Mercedes works team. He has also performed as a test and reserve driver for both Mercedes and Aston Martin F1 teams.
Stoffel Vandoorne Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 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 |
Stoffel Vandoorne Teammates
| 3 drivers | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jenson Button | 2 | 2016 | 2017 |
| Fernando Alonso | 40 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Lando Norris | 7 | 2018 |
Complete Formula One Results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | WDC | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | McLaren Honda | McLaren MP4-31 | Honda RA616H 1.6 V6 t | AUS | BHR 10 | CHN | RUS | ESP | MON | CAN | EUR | AUT | GBR | HUN | GER | BEL | ITA | SIN | MAL | JPN | USA | MEX | BRA | ABU | 20th | 1 |
| 2017 | McLaren Honda | McLaren MCL32 | Honda RA617H 1.6 V6 t | AUS 13 | CHN Ret | BHR DNS | RUS 14 | ESP Ret | MON Ret | CAN 14 | AZE 12 | AUT 12 | GBR 11 | HUN 10 | BEL 14 | ITA Ret | SIN 7 | MAL 7 | JPN 14 | USA 12 | MEX 12 | BRA Ret | ABU 12 | 16th | 13 | |
| 2018 | McLaren F1 Team | McLaren MCL33 | Renault R.E.18 1.6 V6 t | AUS 9 | BHR 8 | CHN 13 | AZE 9 | ESP Ret | MON 14 | CAN 16 | FRA 12 | AUT 15 † | GBR 11 | GER 13 | HUN Ret | BEL 15 | ITA 12 | SIN 12 | RUS 16 | JPN 15 | USA 11 | MEX 8 | BRA 15 | ABU 14 | 16th | 12 |
Sources: Wikipedia.com
