For Season 9 and Gen3 it’s a change of scenery for the champion, with a move to newly christened DS PENSKE, alongside double champion Jean-Eric Vergne.
With a wealth of racing experience behind him, the Belgian driver entered into the all-electric street racing series in 2018 with HWA Racelab, adding to an already impressive motorsport career. For the 2019/20 campaign, Vandoorne transitioned to the newly-christened Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team as Mercedes' manufacturer involvement fully crystallised.
Vandoorne's racing career started at the age of six, competing in kart championships. With several victories to his name, the Belgian's breakthrough moment came in 2008 when he clinched the championship in that year's Belgian KF2 season.
The following year marked the start of Vandoorne's international racing career before he progressed to the F4 Eurocup in 2010, winning in his debut season. In 2013, the Belgian driver was brought into the McLaren Young Driver Programme before he was announced as McLaren Mercedes' official reserve driver in 2014.
Alongside his Formula 1 role, Vandoorne raced in GP2 Series for the French squad ART Grand Prix. After a successful first season with the team, he went on to win the championship at the second attempt. A year later, Vandoorne stepped in as a replacement for the injured two-time world champion Fernando Alonso to make his Formula 1 race debut in the 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix, finishing in the points.
The Belgian driver remained with McLaren until he joined HWA Racelab in October 2018. Joined by DTM Champion Gary Paffett, the two made up the team's driver line-up for it's debut season in the all-electric street racing championship.
With HWA transitioning to a full Mercedes-EQ works team in Season 6, Vandoorne partnered rookie Nyck de Vries and steered the Silver Arrow 01 to its first podium at the season-opener in Diriyah, and a maiden race win at the Berlin finale to sign off an impressive campaign for the German marque.
Vandoorne won in Rome in Season 7, as the Silver Arrow 02 proved its worth, and came home ninth in the standings, a podium shy of his teammate and ruing bad luck - particularly Oliver Rowland's wipe out move in London costing the Belgian a podium, and potentially the title.
The pair return for Season 8 to defend their titles and duly, they did – this time, it was Vandoorne who led the Silver Arrows home with a landmark win in Monaco the highlight, outside of lifting the trophy in Seoul, of course.