Stoffel Vandoorne could be forgiven for thinking he still has unfinished business in Formula 1.
The recently-crowned Formula E champion arrived at the sport’s top table as a full-time driver in 2017 with a mightily impressive junior career on his CV. It was his childhood dream to be an F1 champion and many observers were confident he would realise that goal.
Joining McLaren would be regarded as a dream team move in almost any era in the sport’s history, but sadly not in the second half of the 2010s. It was a case of the right team at the wrong time as the McLaren/Honda relationship descended from bad to worse.
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At the end of 2017, McLaren and Honda split, with Renault joining as the Woking squad’s engine partner. The following year then laid bare that the team’s problems were much more than powertrain related.
With the fearsome Fernando Alonso as his teammate, Vandoorne struggled to make his mark and was dropped by McLaren, who hired Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz. Fed up with the team’s lack of competitiveness, Alonso went into his first F1 retirement.
As so many discarded F1 drivers do, Vandoorne switched to Formula E and rounded off a season of unerring consistency, which featured just one win, by clinching the title in South Korea at the weekend.
(Image: Getty)
It’s fair to say the all-electric series has revitalised both his career and his reputation. He will defend the Formula E crown next year and intends to continue in the series for years to come. He also fancies a crack at the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race one day.
As for a return to F1, it’s a case of ‘never say never, but unlikely’. He told Daily Star Sport: “My future is Formula E. I’ve done the Formula 1 gig for two years in ‘17 and ‘18. I don’t feel like I’ll be in Formula 1 again.
“But never say never. The world is a strange place. Anything is possible but, personally, it’s not something I have in the back of my mind. It’s not something where I’m thinking ‘I have to get back into a Formula 1 seat’.
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“I had a great opportunity to race for Mercedes and start this journey from the bottom. Of course, it’s coming to an end now with Mercedes [who are pulling out of Formula E to focus on F1].
“But I’ve managed to establish myself as one of the winning drivers and now I’m a world champion in Formula E. That’s the way I see my future and where I want to put my focus and my efforts.”
Mercedes’ place will, ironically, be taken over by an entry from McLaren, who have branched out into other series in recent years, including IndyCar. But Vandoorne won’t be linking up with his former employers again and is widely expected to join the DS Penske team for 2023.
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