The redemption day is here for the former F1 driver, Stoffel Vandoorne, who won the Seoul ePrix and got his maiden FIA Formula E Championship title.
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The driver who found himself sidelined from the pinnacle of motorsport after 2018, found his voice back in the electric racing league and made a statement with a brilliant season.
Vandoorne made his Formula E debut in 2018 with the HWA Racelab. However, after two seasons, he jumped ship to the new team on the grid, Mercedes-EQ to partner with Nyck de Vries. Both drivers share the same results but in a different year.
In his two seasons in F1, the Belgian driver arguably failed to turn heads with his performance because of the shortcomings of the racing car under him. Eventually, in 2018, McLaren opted to switch him.
With recent developments, many fans were enraged, and F1 Twitter uses this opportunity to put Vandoorne’s former F1 team under fire.
Now we can claim Mclaren has ruined F1 career of 3 world champions
Formula 1 should have given Stoffel Vandoorne more time But then again, F1’s loss, Formula E’s gain #ABBFormulaE
I’m so happy for Stoffel Vandoorne. I don’t follow Formula E (I only really follow it on social media) but I always felt bad for how unlucky his F1 career was. He joined in the McLaren-Honda era and was never able to prove himself in a fast car. It was all down to timing…
Once again reminded that Stoffel Vandoorne should have been given more time in F1.
Unfortunately, it was the last season for him in the championship as the German constructor parted ways from the Formula E competition. Both the team and the driver went out with a bang by winning the final and raising both the constructors and the driver’s titles.
It's sure been a good year for drivers who left #F1 in 2018. Marcus Ericsson-Indy 500 winner Brendon Hartley-Le Mans winner Stoffel Vandoorne-Formula E World Champion. Well, they do say never judge a driver by their results in an average car😁
I love that when McLaren bought Mercedes EQ FE team, Stoffel Vandoorne peaced the fuck outta there. Considering his past with McLaren, you cannot blame him.
If i didnt have to work i would be parading around while wearing my stoffel vandoorne mclaren shirt
There’s life after McLaren, buddy! Fantastic achievement, my old Macca mate! Bravo! Wonderful! Stoffel Vandoorne #FormulaE champion! 🍾
After all the drama that unfolded in F1 silly season, do you think Vandoorne can be the next on the list of the potential drivers of the 2023 grid?
Stoffel Vandoorne F1 career
From the get-go, the Kortrijk-born racing driver showed promise with his success in his karting career. As a result, in 2013, he earned a place in McLaren’s Young Driver Programme, which also included Kevin Magnussen and Nyck de Vries at the time.
Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren, Trafalgar Square, London, 2017. Photo: Charles Coates. #F1
In 2015 he won the GP2 Series in his second season. A year later is when his fortunes turned, and he received a call-up to replace Fernando Alonso in F1. Remarkably, he scored a world championship point on his debut, becoming the first reserve driver to do so since Sebastian Vettel at the 2007 United States GP.
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With such a stellar result on his debut, he earned a seat in F1 in 2017, when the Brit, Jenson Button, hung up his helmet. He joined forces with Alonso to form the driver lineup for the Woking outfit. Even though he achieved his dream to reach the premier racing league, the opportunity came at the worse possible time.
During the 2017 and 2018 seasons, McLaren didn’t have the most competitive car. Thus, he could only garner a handful of promising results.
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Henceforth, he lost his seat to Lando Norris in 2019 and thus began the chapter of Formula E in his life. Notably, all this while he did not lose his ties with F1 as since 2019, he is associated with Mercedes as their reserve driver, and in 2022, the papaya team also announced him as one of their reserve drivers.
Do you think his F1 career would have a different outcome if Vandoorne was with a different constructor back then?