Formula E reigning champion, Stoffel Vandoorne, joins Aston Martin F1 as test and reserve driver, the team announced Tuesday.
From next season, Belgian driver Stoffel Vandoorne will combine his role as a full-time driver for DS Penske in the Formula E world championship with his commitments as a test and reserve driver for Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team (AMF1).
“It is incredibly exciting to be stepping into a reserve-driver role in Formula One. I’m delighted to be doing it with Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team,” Vandoorne said.
“I’ve watched with great interest how the team has developed and expanded operationally, and I know how incredibly determined it is to make progress in every area.”
Next season, the Silverstone-based squad will feature two-time Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso – Vandoorne’s McLaren former teammate – and Canadian Lance Stroll as its full-time drivers.
“Joining Fernando, who I already know from my Formula One racing career, and Lance to help them develop and improve next year’s car will be a terrific job, and I’m really looking forward to the challenge and reward of working together with the whole organization at Silverstone,” the reigning Formula E champion added.
The 30-year-old debuted at the pinnacle of motorsport securing a seat in 2017 with McLaren Racing. The partnership concluded by the end of the 2018 season.
Afterward, he agreed to take on a new challenge, combining a Formula E-Formula 1 program and breaking new ground in the all-electric series from the 2018/2019 season.
In 2019, he also took a simulator driver role with Mercedes-AMG F1; a year later, he became a reserve driver for the Brackley manufacturer.
Mike Krack, AMF1 Team Principal, commented on the newest addition to the outfit: “Stoffel has all the capabilities we need for this new and expanded role within the team. He is fast, analytical, hard-working, and a fantastic team player and will fit perfectly into our growing organization, working alongside our other test driver, Felipe Drugovich.”
Vandoorne will share driving duties with Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich, who became the first member of the team’s Driver Development Programme last September.
The program, which aims to serve as a stairway for junior drivers to reach Formula One, will see the 22-year-old Brazilian serving as a reserve driver.
According to the team, the young talent could drive in FP1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, taking over Lance Stroll’s…
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