Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team have announced that Stoffel Vandoorne will join the team’s driver roster for the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, as it’s test and reserve driver.
Vandoorne will now join Felipe Dragovich at Aston Martin, where the two drivers will share the role between them across next season’s twenty-four race calendar. Both drivers are set to be based at the team’s Silverstone factory where they will “undertake an intensive simulation and development programme” for Aston Martin.
The thirty-year-old Belgian previously raced in Formula 1 for the McLaren F1 Team between 2017 and 2018, but after only scoring twenty-six World Championship points across both seasons, McLaren opted to part ways with Vandoorne at the end of the 2018 season.
Vandoorne has since been a part of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team family, where he became the team’s simulator driver in 2019, before then becoming one of the team’s reserve drivers in 2020.
The Belgian driver, who was crowned ABB FIA Formula E World Champion last season, racing for Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team, will fit his new role with Aston Martin alongside continuing to race in Formula E for DS Penske in the upcoming Season Nine campaign.
Vandoorne has spoken on his excitement to be joining the Silverstone-based team, where he will be able to help his former team-mate, Fernando Alonso, and Lance Stroll develop Aston Martin’s challenger for the 2023 season.
“It is incredibly exciting to be stepping into a reserve-driver role in Formula One – and I’m delighted to be doing it with Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One™ Team. 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.
“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 organisation at Silverstone.”
Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack also spoke on the appointment of Vandoorne as the team’s new test and reserve driver, stating that the Belgian “will fit perfectly” into the Aston Martin team.
“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 organisation, working alongside our other test driver, Felipe Drugovich.
“The whole team is hugely motivated for next year, and the appointment of Stoffel, alongside Fernando, Lance and Felipe, gives extra depth to our fantastic driver line-up. This will be a significant role for Stoffel, and we will be reliant on him to work hard with both our track and simulation and engineering teams to improve our performance for 2023 and beyond.”
