Vandoorne backs Jaguar to hit the ground running in GEN4

Stoffel Vandoorne is returning to full-time Formula E competition with Jaguar next season, confident that his year of development work has prepared him for the championship’s new GEN4 cars. The former champion has spent the past season as Jaguar’s reserve and development driver, including testing its GEN4 machinery.

The Belgian will race alongside António Félix da Costa after a season away from the championship grid. Vandoorne has stayed active, combining Jaguar testing with World Endurance Championship duties for Peugeot and reserve and test work for Aston Martin in Formula 1. He says the break has not felt long.

His move to Jaguar was announced as part of the team’s Gen4 line-up. Vandoorne arrives with four wins, 17 podiums and 103 Formula E starts, having claimed the drivers’ title in 2021.

GEN4 gives Vandoorne a chance to reset

Vandoorne acknowledged that parts of the GEN3 era had not brought out his best, but said he remains motivated and has learned from those difficult periods. The new car, he expects, will be substantially different, with greater power and added technical demands.

The 2021/22 champion believes Jaguar can provide a strong platform. The team won two constructors’ championships in GEN3, and Vandoorne said his time inside the operation had given him a better understanding of how it works. He has faith it can remain competitive in the new era.

Jaguar’s pre-season testing is scheduled for 16–20 November, giving Vandoorne and his team-mate a further opportunity to prepare. The full-time seat follows his year with the team in a support role, after his previous Formula E campaigns with DS PENSKE and Maserati.

Evans’ departure sets a high bar at Jaguar

Vandoorne takes the place of Mitch Evans, who is leaving Jaguar after 10 years to join Opel. Evans has 16 Formula E victories, all earned with the team, but Vandoorne said stepping into a high-expectation seat is part of racing at a leading outfit. Evans’ Jaguar exit was confirmed ahead of his new challenge.

The incoming pairing brings together two former champions. Vandoorne said he and da Costa know each other well and have been rivals for much of their careers. For now, he said, the priority is working closely together to make the car competitive, with the GEN4 pecking order still uncertain. Any fight between the team-mates, he suggested, should come on track rather than through internal games.