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James Newbold

Vandoorne gets Peugeot WEC drive for 2024 season after Fuji cameo

The Belgian joined Peugeot as a reserve driver for 2023 alongside a Formula E programme with fellow Stellantis-affiliated squad DS Penske, and was called up to sub for Nico Muller in Fuji when the Swiss injured his collarbone.

After finishing seventh in Japan aboard the #94 Peugeot alongside Loic Duval and Gustavo Menezes, 2021-22 FE champion Vandoorne will become a full season driver for 2024, marking his first full season involvement since 2021.

That year he finished second in the LMP2 standings for Jota and narrowly missed out on a class victory at Le Mans.

Vandoorne had previously made two outings in 2019 in LMP1, finishing third on his debut with the SMP Racing squad at Spa before matching that result in the final outing for the BR Engineering BR1 programme at Le Mans.

"I’m really happy to join the team as official driver for the 2024 season," said Vandoorne, who previously started 41 grands prix for McLaren in Formula 1.

"I have always appreciated the FIA WEC and am familiar with it as I raced in 2019 and 2021.

"My goal was clearly to come back to this championship and even more now with the Hypercar class, with so many manufacturers.

"Having the opportunity to fight for the victory and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is fantastic and I think it’s a dream for a lot of drivers. I’m really glad to be part of this team and excited to start with Peugeot."

#94 PEUGEOT TOTALENERGIES Peugeot 9X8 Hybrid Hypecar of Loic Duval, Gustavo Menezes, Stoffel Vandoorne (Photo by: JEP)

Senior VP of Stellantis Motorsport Jean-Marc Finot said Vandoorne's "team spirit, his performance, and his consistency are in line with the ones of his team-mates" and remarked that "his ability to adapt and to be get into rhythm right away" underlined the complementary nature of competing both in WEC and Formula E.

Vandoorne has yet to be confirmed as remaining at DS Penske alongside Jean-Eric Vergne, who is also part of Peugeot's WEC lineup, with several clashes set to pose difficulties for drivers attempting to complete dual schedules in 2024.

The all-electric championship's Berlin double header is scheduled for the same weekend as the WEC's Le Mans warmup at Spa, while the WEC Prologue in Qatar clashes with a yet to be confirmed FE double header round on 24 February. As was the case this year, the Jakarta E-Prix clashes with the Le Mans test day.

It has yet to be determined which Peugeot car crew Vandoorne will race with next season, but it can be anticipated that he will join Duval and Muller in #94 following an announcement from Menezes that he will depart Peugeot at the end of this season.

The American 28-year-old had been part of Peugeot's lineup since the French manufacturer made its long-awaited return to prototypes with the avant-garde 9X8 at Monza in 2022.

Menezes stated that Bahrain would be his last race for Peugeot, and hinted that his plans for 2024 "will be fast".

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