No matter what occurs, without his family’s support, he wouldn’t have pursued his racing ambitions to reach his current position on his journey in the sport.
In an interview published by Aston Martin, Vandoorne extensively discusses his past but reveals little about his future plans beyond his current role of patiently waiting for an opportunity to arise with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. With the latter’s tendency for accidents and poor form, one should never rule out the possibility!
Reflecting on his life, Vandoorne shared: “I was captivated by motorsport from the very beginning. I dabbled in various sports while growing up, but none of them ignited the same passion within me as racing did. I started racing at the age of five, but it was purely by chance that I embarked on this path.
“My family had no ties or involvement in motorsport. My father is an architect, and he happened to design the restaurant at a kart track near our home. He struck up a friendship with the owner, and whenever my father went to work, I would accompany him. The owner would allow me to drive every time I was there, and that’s how I caught the racing bug.
“At home, we transformed our tennis court into a makeshift racetrack, creating small circuits using tires, and I would endlessly go around them. These were my initial forays into the world of motorsport. As a child, I never contemplated the sacrifices and challenges required to pursue racing; all I was focused on was having fun.”
Vandoorne reminisced: “Once I started performing well, I began asking my father for more and more, and he had to find ways to financially support my aspirations. I wasn’t fully aware of the financial strain my family endured for me to pursue my dreams.
“When you’re young, you tend to take everything for granted. Now that I’m older, I comprehend and value the sacrifices my family made for me to pursue my passion,” Vandoorne added.
Regarding his chances of returning to the Formula 1 grid… Currently, they are not very promising unless a team is willing to take a gamble on him. Meanwhile, since his last Grand Prix appearance in Abu Dhabi in 2018, he has made 41 starts in the premier racing series.
Vandoorne went on to secure the 2021/22 Formula E Drivers’ Championship title, following which Aston Martin confirmed that the 32-year-old Belgian would join their F1 team as a test and reserve driver. He has since remained in the background, patiently waiting for an opportunity.
During an interview last year, when asked about the possibility of a return to F1, he told Reuters: “You can never definitively say never. You simply cannot predict what will unfold in someone’s career over the next few years.”