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Will Stoffel Vandoorne become another of Formula 1’s forgotten drivers? Is his time with Aston Martin reserve going to lead him to a full-time drive again?
Whatever happens, if it were not for his family he would not have followed his dream to where he is right now on his racing journey.
In an interview released by Aston Martin, Vandoorne speaks a great deal about his past but little about his plans beyond his current role of waiting for something to happen to Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll to get another call-up. With the latter in poor, accident-prone form, never say never!
Looking back on his life Vandoorne revealed: “I was hooked on motorsport from the start. I tried a lot of sports growing up, but I never had the same passion for them as I did for racing. IÂ started racing when I was five years old, but it was pure coincidence that set me down this path.
“My family had no roots or connection to motorsport. My dad’s an architect, and he designed the restaurant of a kart track near where I grew up. He became good friends with the owner, and I’d go with Dad when he was going to work. The owner would let me drive every time I was there and that’s how I got the bug.
“At home, we transformed our tennis court into a racetrack, making little circuits by laying out tyres and I’d go around endlessly. These were my first steps into the motorsport world. As a kid, I never thought about the sacrifices and challenges to be able to go racing; all I was doing was having fun.”
Stoffel: When you’re young you take everything for granted
Vandoorne recalled: “Once I started doing well, I was asking Dad for more and more, and financially he had to find ways to support what I wanted to do. I wasn’t necessarily aware of the financial pressure my family took on for me to pursue my dreams.
“When you’re young, you take everything for granted. Now I’m older, I understand and appreciate the sacrifices that my family made for me to do what I loved,” added Vandoorne.
As for his chances of returning to the F1 grid… For now, they are not very good unless a team are prepared to take a risk on him. Meanwhile, since his last Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi 2018. He made 41 starts in the top flight.
Vandoorne went on to win the 2021/22 Formula E Drivers’ Championship, after which Aston Martin confirmed the Belgian 32-year-old was joining the F1 team as a test and reserve driver. Where he has remained, always in the background, waiting.
Last year during an interview, regarding a return to F1, he told Reuters: “You can never say never. You just simply don’t know what’s going to happen in someone’s career over the next couple of years.”
Big Question: Will see Stoffel Vandoorne in F1 again as a full-time driver?Â
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