Stoffel Vandoorne will be entering his seventh season in Formula E when the Gen3 Evo era comes to the series for the 2024/25 campaign.
The Belgian began his Formula E career with HWA Racelab in 2018/19 and remained with the team when they rebranded to Mercedes until the 2021/22 season; the year Vandoorne became world champion by 33 points over Mitch Evans.
Securing three victories with Mercedes over three seasons, the 32-year-old moved to DS Penske for Season Nine and failed to replicate his success with the Silver Arrows, as he managed just one podium in two seasons with the team.
With three wins and 16 podiums to his name in FE, Vandoorne will stay with the Stellantis group by joining Maserati for the 2024/25 season as the new Gen3 Evo machine joins the series.
The revolutionary new car will be the fastest in FE history and will be the fastest accelerating car in a championship governed by the FIA.
Stoffel Vandoorne ‘hates’ the strategic element of preserving battery life in Formula E
The new machine will no doubt bring a huge amount of excitement to the sport, as well as the significant amount of driver changes for the 2024/25 season. But the nature of FE and how the championship operates already brings that element of exhilaration.
Strategy is so important in FE as drivers have to ensure that they do not use all their energy up so they can make it to the end of a race.
While this can lead to dramatic finishes and close racing in the final laps, it can lead to disaster; a prime example being at the second race at Misano last season, when Oliver Rowland ran out of battery just before the final lap and denied what could have been a victory.
Speaking with GPBlog, Vandoorne ‘hates’ this type of racing due to the strategy involved and how you can move up and down the grid so quickly.
“I hate it,” he said. “It’s not really racing. It’s not about being the fastest on the track. It’s about being in the right position at the right time. You have to try to stay out of trouble. It’s a strategic game.”
“Of course, with the car, you can make a difference because if you are more efficient than the others, then that helps. It’s a very bizarre way of racing. You can go from last to first, from first to last, and change positions 20 times during the race. It’s very difficult for people to understand this.”
Jake Dennis will link up with Stoffel Vandoorne at Maserati in 2024/25
Vandoorne will be joined at Maserati by Season Nine champion Jake Dennis for Season 11 after the Brit’s departure from Andretti.
After claiming two wins and 11 podiums in 2022/23, Dennis’ defence of his title did not go to plan as he could only grab one win in Diriyah and four podiums and he finished down in seventh.
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With Vandoorne finishing 10th in what was also a disappointing Season 10 for the Belgian at DS Penske, the two FE champions move to a Maserati team that finished eighth in the Teams’ Championship last year.
Nevertheless, the duo are capable of scoring regular points and fighting at the front. With the new car coming to the series and teams not knowing where each other are, Maserati will be an interesting team to keep an eye on in 2024/25.