Latest news with #Vandoorne
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
All about Stoffel Vandoorne - the Tokyo E-Prix Round 8 winner
Image credit: Stoffel Vandoorne/Instagram Down but not out! That's exactly how Maserati MSG Racing driver Stoffel Vandoorne approached the Tokyo E-Prix Round 8, starting from 14th on the grid and going on to clinch a remarkable victory. It was nothing short of a come-from-behind win for the 33-year-old, who in fact left Nissan's Oliver Rowland—who had started from pole—behind to claim the top spot. Soon after the win, Vandoorne's name was all over social media, with fans eager to know more about the man from Belgium. Stoffel Vandoorne's much-awaited triumph came three years after his last victory, which was at Monaco in 2022. He'll now aim to carry this winning momentum into the Shanghai double-header at the end of this month. Who is Stoffel Vandoorne? Born and raised in Kortrijk, West Flanders, Vandoorne competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Peugeot and in Formula E for Maserati. His passion for racing began early—he started karting at the age of 6. His father took him to the World Karts track in Kortrijk, Belgium, where he took his first steps toward the thrilling world of motorsport. Vandoorne had to battle financial hurdles in the early stages of his career. Funding was a constant struggle, but his talent saw him rise through national and international competitions, earning success along the way. He progressed to junior formulae in 2010. His first major success came that same year when he won the F4 Eurocup championship with the FFSA Academy. That win helped him advance to Formula Renault, where he won the Eurocup in 2012. A year later, he finished runner-up in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2013. Also Read: Stoffel Vandoorne on clinching long-awaited Tokyo E-Prix Round 8 victory: 'I'm just super happy our plan paid off' Vandoorne's journey also included a stint in Formula One. He joined the McLaren Young Driver Programme in 2013 and remained part of the setup for several years. His big day came in 2016 when he made his Formula One debut for McLaren at the Bahrain Grand Prix, replacing the injured Fernando Alonso. Impressed by his performance, McLaren signed him as a full-time driver alongside Alonso for the 2017 season. He raced, scored points, earned applause—but was released at the end of 2018. Since then, he has served as a reserve driver for several teams, including McLaren, Mercedes, Racing Point, and Aston Martin. Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Stoffel Vandoorne on Tokyo E-Prix triumph: 'The plan perfectly played in our hands'
It cannot be just a coincidence that Maserati MSG Racing driver Stoffel Vandoorne started from the 14th position on the grid and went on to win the Tokyo E-Prix Round 8. He even managed to beat Nissan's Oliver Rowland, who had started from pole. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Vandoorne shined while others struggled with poor visibility, a slippery track, and grip issues as it rained cats and dogs during the Tokyo race. Not only that, he also recovered from a spin on the wet track to cross the finish line first. The Tokyo winner says it's all because of how their plan fell in place to perfection. Stoffel Vandoorne shares their strategy for Tokyo race Stoffel Vandoorne revealed that their winning strategy involved a calculated risk of taking the Pit Boost early in the race, which could have worked in their favor if there had been a race stoppage, allowing them to save time during the gap. "It was not an easy race, but a lot of opportunities with the rain and the management. We kind of gamble a little bit with our strategy but it was also calculated at the same time. The plan perfectly played in our hands, and the chances of this happening in Formula E are very, very slim,' Vandoorne told Formula E in an interview. "It was difficult because I had to manage so many things. I was on the radio with my engineer in between laps and he was giving me advice on the gap that I had to Oliver (Rowland) to make sure I was safe enough with my energy. I was struggling, and I was down to 10% at some point and I had to bring the car home so there was a lot of management to do," he added. Vandoorne moved to Maserati MSG Racing last season and is in love with his new team. Talking about the same, he said, "I'm just happy for the team, for myself, it's been a little while. They are such a good group of people, some familiar faces from the past as well, their vibe is super cool, their base is Monaco and that is my home as well. They are making my life easy." Also Read: Stoffel Vandoorne's much-awaited win came three years after his last victory in Monaco in 2022. He would now be looking to continue the winning streak at the Shanghai double-header at the end of this month.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Formula E Drivers Are Believers: 'We Need to Push People' Toward EVs
Count as one who actively encourages the public these days to switch from piston-driven, gasoline-powered engines. 'I think they are much better than the normal combustion engines,' said Vandoorne. Vandoorne's Maserati teammate, Jake Hughes, is a believer now, too. Since Maserati MSG Racing driver Stoffel Vandoorne joined the ABB FIA Formula E Championship eight years ago, he has become a proponent of electric vehicles and today actively encourages the public to switch from piston-driven, gasoline-powered engines.'The most impressive thing is seeing how much the world actually has evolved towards electric cars,' Vandoorne said as the global all-electric open-wheel racing series prepares to make its lone U.S. visit April 10-12 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. 'Even eight to 10 years ago, people were very reluctant towards electric cars. And don't get me wrong, some of them still are,' he said. "And I think it's still something that we need to work on as a community, to push people towards electric cars. But since my involvement informally and having company cars being electric cars, as well, I think it's something you have to experience.'I think they are much better than the normal combustion engines,' said Vandoorne, who drove in Formula 1 with McLaren in 2017 and 2018. 'They're much easier to use. The power delivery on them is a lot nicer. And I would say maybe one of the only constraints that we have is the infrastructure that is not 100% ready yet. That's something as a community that we need to keep working on, to improve the infrastructure.'But I also feel like with Formula E, with the technology that we are producing there, especially the battery technology, I think that is going to be a game changer for the future,' Vandoorne said, 'because I feel like a lot of the worries right now for people are obviously the range of electric cars. If you look at the evolution through the last five, 10 years, we've hit some pretty big milestones already. And I think that's only going to get better and better, where we won't have any constraints anymore. So for me it's positive, and I feel like we're on the right trajectory.'His Maserati teammate, Jake Hughes, is a believer now, too, despite not having any experience with EVs before signing on to race in Formula E. "I hadn't experienced electric cars, but I'd watched the races on TV and was very attracted to the competition side, let's say, and how high quality the drivers are [and] the teams are," Hughes said. "So that was what attracted me to Formula E. But, of course, once you learn more about the technology, not just what we have on the track but also what the brands provided on the road, it's extremely exciting. And for me personally, I have had the amazing opportunity to now be an owner of a Gracale [Maserati's luxury SUV].'Having that much instant power, that much comfort, that much sight, weirdly, that much silence is super-addictive, as well, when you're driving to and from on the road to work and back... super- smooth. It's very addictive, and I can't see myself at the moment having a life without an electric road car.
