02/11/2022
NEWS STORY
Aston Martin has announced that Stoffel Vandoorne will join its driving roster 2023, alongside Brazil's Felipe Drugovich as a test and reserve driver.
The pair will dovetail duties across next year's record 24-race calendar, with Vandoorne undertaking an intensive simulation and development programme at the team's Silverstone factory.
Vandoorne, 30, dominated GP2, winning 11 races on his way to the 2015 title, he started 41 Grands Prix with McLaren between 2016 and '18, and, across three Formula E seasons, he won three races and became world champion in 2021/2022.
He will fit his F1 commitments around the new Formula E season, in which he will race for the DS Penske team in 2022/2023.
"It is incredibly exciting to be stepping into a reserve-driver role in Formula One," said the Belgian, "and I'm delighted to be doing it with Aston Martin. 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."
"Stoffel has all the capabilities we need for this new and expanded role within the team," added Mike Krack, "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."