Stoffel Vandoorne has, on the face of it, seemingly been forced to settle for a Formula E reserve role after failing to find a race seat for Season 12, but all is not what it seems.
The Belgian, who won the World Championship in Season 8, lost his seat amid Maserati MSG Racing’s morphing into Citroen, with former DS Penske team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne and Nick Cassidy taking up residence at the all-new French outfit.
Whilst Vandoorne never seemed to be at one with the Gen3 era of Formula E car, it felt like an indignant end for a driver with such stature and calibre in the all-electric championship.
And this was exacerbated by the end of his tenure with Peugeot in the World Endurance Championship, effectively ending his relationship with the Stellantis brand.
All was not lost, however, as Vandoorne was set to take a drive with with Hyundai-backed Genesis Magma Racing squad instead, but at the last minute, the deal fell through.
It transpired that Genesis boss and former Renault Formula 1 supremo Cyril Abiteboul was unwilling to let Vandoorne seek a way of keeping a foot in the FE door.
Vandoorne obviously felt strongly enough about this to the point where he called the deal off, and is now sensationally returned to Peugeot, with former Vergne making way.
Motorsport Week understands that at the Mexico City Grand Prix – where he was present in his role as Aston Martin reserve driver – Vandoorne spoke of his confidence at landing a seat in the Gen4 era, which begins next season.
The next day, he was announced as a reserve driver with Jaguar TCS Racing, which had long sewn-up its driver line-up with Mitch Evans retained alongside Antonio Felix da Costa, who replaces Cassidy.
Could an unexpected Evans exit open the way for Vandoorne?
The murmurs on the ground at pre-season testing in Valencia last week were that Vandoorne is indeed confident in actually finding his way into the big cat’s full roster for Season 13.
On the face of it, this makes little sense, as da Costa is intent on remaining in FE for a long time [and was afforded a dual-WEC deal with Jaguar, which swayed his decision], and Evans is Mr Jaguar.
But the Kiwi told Racing News 365 that is future is uncertain with Jaguar, hence why he is not currently involved in its Gen4 testing programme.
The signs now all point towards a method in Vandoorne’s madness, and gives him a true possibility of his gamble paying off.
Despite FE benefitting from continuing influx of young talent from Formula 2, having a former champion remain is a huge boost, and with the Gen4 car getting closer to F2 and Formula 1 speeds, who would deny such an experienced wheelsmith like Vandoorne an opportunity to continue?
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