Stoffel Vandoorne will bring his Peugeot chapter to an early close. The Belgian driver is set to leave the French manufacturer's Hypercar squad in the World Endurance Championship after this weekend's Fuji 6 Hours.
The decision comes as a surprise, as Vandoorne was originally slated to stay until the end of the season. However, Peugeot has opted to accelerate the split to allow Vandoorne to prepare for his expected Formula E return with Jaguar, where he is understood to have agreed a deal to replace Opel-bound Mitch Evans. An official announcement is anticipated in the coming weeks, marking his return to the all-electric series after a one-year hiatus.
This is not the first time Peugeot and Vandoorne have announced such a split. Just over 12 months ago, Peugeot revealed that Vandoorne would step down immediately, only for him to return in 2026 after his mooted move to newcomer Genesis fell through. He ended up missing only last year's Bahrain finale. This time, however, his departure is concrete.
At Jaguar, Vandoorne will team up with Antonio Felix da Costa, who may also miss the final two WEC events of 2026. Da Costa returned to Hypercar this year with Alpine, but was benched for this weekend's Fuji round as the Renault brand elected to switch to two-driver line-ups. On Friday, team principal Philippe Sinault insisted that da Costa could still return at Barcelona and Monza, but he did not rule out fielding two-driver crews again.
Vandoorne's exit comes as Formula E drivers prepare for the start of the new Gen4 era, with the pre-season Jarama test scheduled for 16-20 November, just a week after the WEC finale in Italy. Vandoorne first joined Peugeot in 2023, incidentally at Fuji, as a substitute for Nico Mueller, who was ruled out with a collarbone injury. He moved into a full-time role the following year and has since completed 18 races for the Paris-based squad. A third-place result at Austin last year marks his best Hypercar finish.
While Vandoorne has previously combined a Formula E programme with WEC, he is not expected to remain in Hypercar with a different brand next year. Peugeot is yet to name a replacement for the final two rounds, but it is expected to provide race mileage to either new-for-2027 signing Robert Shwartzman or reserve driver Alex Quinn. Like Shwartzman, Quinn is set to step up to a race seat next year as part of a wider shake-up of the team's line-up.
Peugeot's decision to fast-track Vandoorne's exit is also linked to preparations for next season. With Shwartzman and Quinn ready to take over, the team wants to give them early race experience. Meanwhile, Vandoorne needs to fully focus on the Gen4 test with Jaguar in November. His return to Formula E with Jaguar is certainly one of the intriguing stories ahead of the new season.
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