Aston Martin have signed Stoffel Vandoorne as a Test & Reserve Driver for 2023 F1 season.
Vandoorne has spent recent seasons in the same role for Mercedes alongside Nyck De Vries – who has now joined AlphaTauri for next season – and the Belgian has now decided to also leave Mercedes at end of the current season.
Vandoorne will share Test and Reserve duties alongside 2022 F2 champion, Felipe Drugovich across the 24 race calendar, with both drivers having won in the second-tier of single-seater racing – with Vandoorne having won his title in 2015 GP2 season.
The decision to split Test and Reserve duties will enable Vandoorne to defend his Formula E title next season, as he moves to DS Penske following Mercedes’ exit from the category..
Speaking about his latest opportunity, Vandoorne described the move as “incredibly exciting” and is “delighted” to join Aston Martin, who is one of Mercedes’ customer teams meaning that he will bring his knowledge of Mercedes’ power unit to Aston Martin next season.
Vandoorne also acknowledged the team’s evolution since being brought out by Lawrence Stroll in mid-2018 as he explained that he held a “great interest” in their progress behind-the-scenes, which demonstrates “how incredibly determined it is to make progress in every area.”
This move will reunite Vandoorne with his ex McLaren teammate, Fernando Alonso who too is set to join the team next season, with the Belgian describing their reunion as “a terrific job” as the pair plus Drugovich join Lance Stroll in working to develop next year’s race car as a team.
Aston Martin Team Principal, Mike Krack added that Vandoorne possesses “all the capabilities” to help advance the team forward, as he commended the 30 year-old for being “fast, analytical, hard-working and a fantastic team player,” which contributed to him winning 2022 Formula E title.
On what Vandoorne’s arrival means for the team, Krack commented: “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.”
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