Stoffel Vandoorne
 Vandoorne at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix | |
| Born | 26 March 1992 Kortrijk, Belgium |
|---|---|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Belgian |
| Car number | 2 |
| Entries | ( starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| First entry | 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix |
| 2017 position | 16th (13 pts) |
| Previous series | |
| 2016 2014–2015 2013 2011–12 2011–12 2010 | Super Formula Championship GP2 Series Formula Renault 3.5 Series Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC F4 Eurocup 1.6 |
| Championship titles | |
| 2015 2012 2010 | GP2 Series Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 F4 Eurocup 1.6 |
Stoffel Vandoorne (born 26 March 1992) is a professional racing driver from Belgium, currently competing in Formula One for McLaren.[2][3] Vandoorne currently resides in both Monte Carlo (Monaco) and Roeselare (Belgium).
Early life
Stoffel Vandoorne was born in Kortrijk. Vandoorne was introduced to motorsport at the age of six during a visit to the kart track of World Karts in Kortrijk in Flanders, Belgium. Vandoorne started karting after the owner of the track gave him a mini-kart.
Career
Karting
Initially, lack of funding restricted Vandoorne to race 3 to 4 races per year. By age 16 he was Belgian KF2 Champion. In 2009 he finished as runner-up in the CIK-FIA World Cup in the KF2 category.[4] The same year he won the 'steering wheel' competition held by the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium. The prize money of 45,000 euros helped him start his car racing career in F4 Eurocup 1.6.[5]
Formula Renault
In 2010, Vandoorne moved up to single-seater racing, joining the F4 Eurocup 1.6 series.[6] He went on to win the series on his first attempt, finishing the season with six wins and three further podium finishes.[7] The prize from winning the series helped him to move up to the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 the following year. He also earned a place in the FIA Driver Academy.[8]
In 2011, he graduated to competing in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 with Kurt Mollekens' KTR team.[9] He finished fifth overall, with one podium at the Hungaroring and another eight-point-scoring finishes throughout the season.[10] He also participated in Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup, where he finished third in the series' standings with eight podiums.[11]
For the 2012 season Vandoorne remained in the Eurocup, but left KTR to join Josef Kaufmann Racing.[12] He won the championship by ten points after a tight battle between himself and Red Bull-backed Daniil Kvyat. Between them they won 11 of the 14 races and finished over 100 points ahead of their nearest challenger. Vandoorne finished the season with four wins and six podiums to his name. He also contested selected events in the Northern European Cup, where he won five of the seven races that he started, and finished on the podium in a sixth race.
In 2013, Vandoorne raced in Formula Renault 3.5, where he replaced 2012 champion Robin Frijns at Fortec Motorsport.[13] He finished runner-up to fellow McLaren young driver Kevin Magnussen with four wins and 10 podiums, including a victory at his home track of Spa-Francorchamps.
GP2 Series
In January 2014, it was confirmed that Vandoorne would make his debut in GP2, racing with ART. In the opening race at Bahrain, Vandoorne claimed his first victory of the season in the feature race. He followed this up with four consecutive pole positions, three more wins at the Hungaroring, Monza and Yas Marina and six additional podiums. Despite being a rookie, he finished runner-up to 2014 champion Jolyon Palmer.
Vandoorne reunited with ART for 2015, as well as was considered the main title contender.[14] He was partnered by 2014 Japanese Formula Three champion Nobuharu Matsushita. After five feature race wins, twelve podiums and four pole positions, Vandoorne took the title in Sochi, 108 points over his nearest rival Alexander Rossi.
Super Formula
On 12 February 2016, it was announced that Vandoorne would race a Honda in Super Formula for Dandelion Racing.[15] He finished fourth overall, the highest ranking among Honda engine users, with two wins and one pole position at Fuji Speedway in wet conditions throughout the season.
Formula One
In February 2013, Vandoorne joined McLaren's Young Driver Programme,[16] under the tutelage of his then manager Richard Goddard, in collaboration with the team's sporting director Sam Michael and its head of communications Matt Bishop, to whom Vandoorne had been introduced in 2011 by Alex Wurz.[17]
In January 2014, he was announced as a third driver for McLaren F1 also taking up driving duties in the GP2 Series for ART Grand Prix.[18]
McLaren (2016–2018)
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On 31 March 2016, it was announced Vandoorne would be replacing regular driver Fernando Alonso at the Bahrain Grand Prix after the Spaniard was ruled unfit to drive following a major accident in the previous round.[19] After qualifying 12th ahead of Jenson Button, Vandoorne finished 10th and became the first reserve driver to score points on debut since Sebastian Vettel at the 2007 United States Grand Prix.
On 3 September 2016, ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, it was announced by McLaren that Jenson Button would not be racing in 2017, and that Vandoorne would be replacing him to partner Alonso for the 2017 season.[3] On 23 August 2017, it was announced that Vandoorne would be retained for the 2018 season.[20]
It was announced on 3 September 2018 that Vandoorne would leave McLaren at the end of the 2018 season.[21]
Racing record
Career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | F4 Eurocup 1.6 | Autosport 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 | ||
| 2013 | Formula Renault 3.5 Series | Fortec Motorsport | 17 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 214 | 2nd |
| 2014 | GP2 Series | ART Grand Prix | 22 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 229 | 2nd |
| Formula One | McLaren Mercedes | Test driver | |||||||
| 2015 | GP2 Series | ART Grand Prix | 21 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 16 | 341.5 | 1st |
| Formula One | McLaren Honda | Test driver | |||||||
| 2016 | Super Formula | Docomo Team Dandelion Racing | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 4th |
| Formula One | McLaren Honda | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20th | |
| 2017 | Formula One | McLaren Honda | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 16th |
| 2018 | Formula One | McLaren F1 Team | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8* | 16th* |
* Season still in progress.
Complete Formula Renault 3.5 Series results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Fortec Motorsports | MNZ 1 1 |
MNZ 2 3 |
ALC 1 8 |
ALC 2 3 |
MON 1 9 |
SPA 1 13 |
SPA 2 1 |
MSC 1 1 |
MSC 2 1 |
RBR 1 Ret |
RBR 2 Ret |
HUN 1 4 |
HUN 2 2 |
LEC 1 2 |
LEC 2 Ret |
CAT 1 3 |
CAT 2 2 |
2nd | 214 |
Complete GP2 Series results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | ART Grand Prix | BHR FEA 1 |
BHR SPR 22 |
CAT FEA 13 |
CAT SPR 10 |
MON FEA 14 |
MON SPR 13 |
RBR FEA 2 |
RBR SPR 15 |
SIL FEA 3 |
SIL SPR 9 |
HOC FEA 2 |
HOC SPR 3 |
HUN FEA 7 |
HUN SPR 1 |
SPA FEA 2 |
SPA SPR 6 |
MNZ FEA 1 |
MNZ SPR 13 |
SOC FEA 5 |
SOC SPR 2 |
YMC FEA 1 |
YMC SPR 5 |
2nd | 229 |
| 2015 | ART Grand Prix | BHR FEA 1 |
BHR SPR 2 |
CAT FEA 1 |
CAT SPR 2 |
MON FEA 1 |
MON SPR 8 |
RBR FEA 1 |
RBR SPR 2 |
SIL FEA 3 |
SIL SPR 9 |
HUN FEA 5 |
HUN SPR 2 |
SPA FEA 1 |
SPA SPR 4 |
MNZ FEA 2 |
MNZ SPR 3 |
SOC FEA 3 |
SOC SPR 4 |
BHR FEA 1 |
BHR SPR 2 |
YMC FEA 1 |
YMC SPR C |
1st | 341.5 |
Complete Super Formula results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Docomo Team Dandelion Racing | SUZ 3 |
OKA 12 |
FUJ Ret |
MOT 6 |
OKA 1 |
OKA 7 |
SUG 6 |
SUZ 17 |
SUZ 1 |
4th | 27 |
Complete Formula One results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 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 | MEX | BRA | ABU | 16th* | 8* |
† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
* Season still in progress.
References
- ^ "McLaren Honda confirms Stoffel Vandoorne will race for the team in 2018 as planned". McLaren.com. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ^ "Stoffel Vandoorne". Formula1.com. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
- ^ a b "Jenson Button won't race in F1 in 2017, but could still return in 2018". skysports.com. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ "Stoffel Career History". stoffelvandoorne.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Mills, Peter. "Vandoorne: future McLaren F1 star?". AUTOSPORT.com. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
- ^ "F4 Eurocup 1.6 2010 drivers". F4 Eurocup 1.6. Auto Sport Academy. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
- ^ "F4 Eurocup 1.6 2010". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
- ^ "Stoffel Vandoorne". Motor Sport Magazine. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
- ^ "Vandoorne debut with KTR". ItaliaRacing.net. Inpagina. 31 October 2010. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup 2011". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
- ^ "Formula Renault 2.0 NEC 2011". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
- ^ "Vandoorne vise le titre avec Kaufmann" [Vandoorne eyes the title with Kaufmann]. AUTOhebdo (in French). Groupe Hommell. 25 November 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
- ^ Beer, Matt (21 December 2012). "Stoffel Vandoorne takes Frijns' place at Fortec for FR3.5 season". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ^ "GP2 – DAMS duo must 'gang up' on Vandoorne". 10 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
- ^ "McLaren F1 reserve Stoffel Vandoorne seals Honda Super Formula seat". Autosport.com. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
- ^ O'Leary, Jamie (18 February 2013). "Stoffel Vandoorne joins McLaren F1 Young Driver Programme". Autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
- ^ "Q&A with McLaren Young Driver: Stoffel Vandoorne". mclaren.com. 27 August 2013.
- ^ "Stoffel Vandoorne officieel reserverijder voor McLaren F1" [Stoffel Vandoorne officially reserve driver for McLaren F1]. Autosport.be (in Dutch).
- ^ "Alonso will not race in the Bahrain GP". motorsport.com. 31 March 2016.
- ^ "McLaren Honda confirms Stoffel Vandoorne will race for the team in 2018 as planned". McLaren.com. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ^ "Stoffel Vandoorne to leave McLaren at the end of the 2018 season". McLaren. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
External links
- Official website
- Stoffel Vandoorne career summary at DriverDB.com
- 1992 births
- Living people
- Belgian racing drivers
- Belgian Formula One drivers
- McLaren Formula One drivers
- Super Formula drivers
- GP2 Series drivers
- GP2 Series Champions
- Formula 3.5 V8 drivers
- French F4 Championship drivers
- Formula Renault 2.0 NEC drivers
- Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 drivers
- FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy drivers
- Sportspeople from Kortrijk