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Tag: Stoffel Vandoorne
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Stoffel Vandoorne claims first win of the season
Monte Carlo, 30 April 2022: Stoffel Vandoorne mastered the unforgiving streets of Monte-Carlo today (30 April) to claim his first victory of the 2021/22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship campaign with Mercedes-EQ – storming to the summit of the drivers’ standings in the process.
Vandoorne began the Monaco E-Prix from fourth on the grid and maintained that position throughout the opening half of the race in the glamorous Principality, behind pole-sitter Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing), TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein and two-time champion Jean-Éric Vergne (DS TECHEETAH), before the leading quartet began trading places as Attack Mode activations came into play.
The Belgian’s first move was to sweep around the outside of Evans for third at the chicane approaching mid-distance, going on to gain another spot when Wehrlein suddenly slowed. After boxing clever and biding his time early on, the German looked to have pulled off a masterstroke as he catapulted himself to the head of the order following the initial round of Attack Modes, only for misfortune to strike.
Vandoorne then seized the lead when Vergne became the first of the front-runners to deploy his second Attack Mode, the DS TECHEETAH driver dropping to third and losing much of the benefit of his extra power to a Full Course Yellow, prompted by Wehrlein’s car stopping on-track.
When the action resumed, Mercedes man Vandoorne had a 3.5-second advantage over closest rival Evans. Whilst, like Vergne, he was unable to fully exploit his second Attack Mode – due to a safety car intervention for a collision between Mahindra Racing’s Oliver Rowland and André Lotterer that left the Porsche buried in the Ste Dévote barriers – he would not subsequently be challenged.
A new fastest lap enabled Vandoorne to put some breathing space between himself and his pursuers, and the Monaco resident went on to take the chequered flag just over a second to the good to cement a popular ‘home’ triumph – a result that made him the first driver ever to win the race from lower than pole position, and which leaves him six points clear at the top of the title table.
After rebuffing Wehrlein’s advances to lead the opening stages of the race, Evans – Formula E’s form driver following his double top in Rome three weeks ago – subsequently struggled with energy management but ultimately rallied to clinch the runner-up spoils as he fought his way grittily back past Envision Racing’s Robin Frijns and Vergne.
The Frenchman – who had arrived in Monte-Carlo leading the championship – adopted an aggressive strategy that at one point looked like reaping rewards, but the unfortunate timing of his second Attack Mode would prove costly and in the end, he was powerless to defend against a resurgent Evans in Attack Mode and was forced to settle for third.
Right on Vergne’s heels at the flag was Frijns, who lost ground early on but drove an intelligent race to climb to fourth position and keep his own title aspirations very much alive. The Dutchman wound up sandwiched between the DS TECHEETAHs, with practice pace-setter and last year’s Monaco winner António Félix da Costa hauling himself into contention as he charged through to fifth from down in ninth on the grid.
Sixth-placed Lucas Di Grassi was in the front-running group throughout for ROKiT Venturi Racing, on a day when his team-mate – erstwhile championship leader Edoardo Mortara – failed to score.
Nick Cassidy crossed the line seventh for Envision Racing – an improvement of 11 positions on his starting position – with double title-winner Sébastien Buemi recreating some of the magic that saw him win the first two editions of the Monaco E-Prix as he scythed through from the very back of the pack to finish eighth.
Jake Dennis made up significant early ground for Avalanche Andretti on his way to ninth, with Vandoorne’s Mercedes stablemate, defending champion Nyck de Vries, a subdued tenth.
The 2021/22 Formula E season will continue with rounds seven and eight on Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit in a fortnight’s time (14/15 May).
STOFFEL VANDOORNE, MERCEDES-EQ FORMULA E TEAM, #5 said:
“It is an amazing feeling, I mean Monaco is always a special race to win as a driver. Last year we had a tough time here, this year we managed to turn it around. The target was to qualify at the front and then I knew we would be in the mix, and that is exactly how the race panned out. We were flying today, massive well done to the team for giving me a strong car. It has not been an easy start to the season, but it shows the consistency we have. I am extremely happy.
“I feel like I have been fighting at the front all season already, I have had a few pole positions and have not quite been able to convert them into victories. This weekend I decided not to qualify on pole and get the victory instead.”
MITCH EVANS, JAGUAR TCS RACING, #9 said:
“It was a confusing race because I felt we were looking really good on the energy, obviously off the back of Rome but also approaching the race. We thought we were pretty conservative, so were not expecting to use much energy, but it was the complete opposite. This is something to look into, maybe we just got things a bit wrong today – but we were quite lucky to get second, so I will take that. I really wanted to win today off the back of pole and the wins for us at the last race, but Stoffel and the other guys were really quick. So I will take these good points and move on for the next race.”
JEAN-ÉRIC VERGNE, DS TECHEETAH, #25 said:
“It was a good race but I was unlucky on the second attack mode, I had a struggle with full course yellow so it was a waste. Obviously I would rather fight for the win today but I am going to take those points. I’ll keep pushing hard, I’ll keep hard working and move forward.”
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Stoffel Vandoorne bounces back in style to win in Rome
Rome, 11 April 2021: After his pole position performance yesterday unravelled over the course of a luckless race, Mercedes-EQ star Stoffel Vandoorne earned his redemption in fine style today (11 April), dominating the second leg of the Rome E-Prix to fire himself firmly into title contention in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
Vandoorne began the race around the Circuito Cittadino dell’EUR in fourth place, but he did not stay there long. Following another safety car start due to the damp conditions, Nick Cassidy led the field for Envision Virgin Racing from fellow series rookie Norman Nato (ROKiT Venturi Racing), but the New Zealander’s baptism of fire in Formula E continued as he locked up into Turn Three and spun away his advantage.
Nato duly inherited the top spot ahead of Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche) and Vandoorne, both of whom would soon demote the ROKiT Venturi Racing machine to third position. The Belgian then set about closing down the 1.3-second gap to his German rival in front.
Vandoorne was the first of the pair to activate his opening Attack Mode, conceding ground only to Wehrlein. The latter followed suit shortly after, elevating the Mercedes man to the lead, at which point the race turned on its head. A coming-together between former champions Lucas Di Grassi (Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler) and Sébastien Buemi (Nissan e.dams) left the Brazilian in the wall, bringing out a Full Course Yellow.
That neutralised the remaining two minutes of Wehrlein’s Attack Mode, preventing him from launching a counter-offensive – and from that moment on, Vandoorne never looked back.
With 13 laps in the books, the 29-year-old was almost five seconds clear of his nearest pursuer, which was now Mahindra Racing’s Alexander Sims, who spent the early stages battling his way past Maximilian Günther (BMW i Andretti Motorsport) and Nato before catching Wehrlein at the Full Course Yellow re-start to pinch second place.
Vandoorne’s comfortable margin was erased with just a handful of minutes left on the clock, when René Rast tapped the wall exiting the final corner and broke his suspension to compound a tough day for Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler. With the German’s car stuck in the wall, the safety car was summoned, bunching the pack together.
What followed was a single-lap, flat-out blast to the chequered flag, with the leader deploying his FanBoost to put some breathing space between himself and Sims and hold on to the end. The Briton capped an impressive race by clinching the runner-up spoils, with Nato taking third on-the-road after re-passing Wehrlein with 13 minutes remaining.
The Frenchman, however, would subsequently be disqualified for excessive energy consumption, promoting Wehrlein to the podium. In some consolation for ROKiT Venturi Racing, Edoardo Mortara wound up fourth following a strong drive, producing a spectacular save on the last lap after briefly losing control over a bump. Günther followed him home in fifth to finally kick-start his season, with Saturday podium-finisher Mitch Evans (Jaguar Racing) fighting up the order into sixth.
Defending champion António Félix da Costa (DS TECHEETAH) was one of the stars of the show as he scythed his way through the field from a lowly 16th on the grid to seventh at the flag, with Tom Blomqvist (NIO 333), Dragon/Penske Autosport’s Nico Müller and Sebastien Buemi (Nissan e.dams) rounding out the top ten.
Pole-sitter Cassidy’s day went from bad to worse as, after battling back from 11th to eighth following his early spin, he was tipped into the wall by Oliver Rowland (Nissan e.dams) – an indiscretion for which the Briton picked up a ten-second penalty.
There were no points, either, for Saturday winner Jean-Éric Vergne (DS TECHEETAH), who could manage no better than 11th after struggling in qualifying. He then lost further time due to Robin Frijns (Envision Virgin Racing) failing to keep within ten car-lengths of the car ahead during the safety car start – for which the Dutchman received a five-second penalty.
Indeed, none of the top three in the championship standings entering the race ultimately scored, with two of them – Jaguar Racing’s Sam Bird and Mercedes-EQ’s Nyck de Vries – eliminated in a three-car final lap pile-up initiated when the Dutchman lost control on the run to Turn Seven, with Rowland similarly caught up in the mêlée.
The 2020/21 Formula E season will continue with another double-header in Valencia, Spain on 24/25 April.
Stoffel Vandoorne (Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team)
“Today was all about redemption for yesterday. The pace of the car has been great the whole weekend and today we managed to get a decent qualifying session despite the challenging track conditions. I want to congratulate my team. We had a very good strategy with Attack Mode and managed to build a gap when needed. It feels good to achieve this today with this team.”
Alexander Sims (Mahindra Racing)
“The team seemed pleased with the result today. The gap to overtake Pascal was pretty narrow, but we reacted well and had a successful strategy. I am happy with the race and the way we used Attack Mode. It is my second weekend with Mahindra Racing and we still have lots to learn with pace and qualifying. We’ll keep working and trying.”
Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team)
“It feels good to be on the podium, but I am still disappointed as I was leading the race at one point. We missed some good opportunities but it was a good day for us overall. In the race and qualifying it feels like we are lacking pace. We need to keep working and improve for the next race. I’m pleased with my result on my second weekend with TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team. Stoffel was extremely fast today so congratulations to him on his first win of the season!”
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McLaren and Coca-Cola announce Formula 1 partnership for remainder of 2018 season
Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne. Photo: McLaren Woking, 18 October 2018: McLaren Racing and Coca-Cola today announced a new partnership that will see the companies collaborate for the remainder of the 2018 Formula 1 season.
The partnership will see the iconic Coca-Cola brand carried on a Formula 1 car for the first time as part of the McLaren Racing livery, and continues its rich history of sports sponsorship, including motorsport.
Coca-Cola and its sub-brands will be represented on the two McLaren race cars as well as the team’s race drivers, Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne, and McLaren test driver Lando Norris. Activation will focus on sub-brands Dasani Sparkling and SmartWater at the USA, Brazilian and season-ending Abu Dhabi Grands Prix.
Zak Brown, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Racing, said: “Coca-Cola has a rich history of sponsorship and a record of innovative activations and we are honoured the company has chosen to partner with McLaren to explore opportunities in Formula 1. Formula 1 as a sport is changing, as are we as a team, and we’re looking forward to introducing Coca-Cola to the potential that our team and fantastic, global sport represents.”
Ricardo Fort, Vice President, Sports Partnerships, Coca-Cola, said: “We are looking forward to this activation with McLaren, both our companies are innovators, and we are both looking to further connect with youth. This partnership will guide us to what our customers, markets and consumers are craving from this high octane passion.”
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Spanish GP: Fernando Alonso, McLaren team hopeful of improved performance
Barcelona, 9 May 2018: The first European race of the 2018 Formula One season starts with a trip to Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, a well-visited and well-loved track by all in the F1 paddock. The 28th running of the Spanish Grand Prix not only sees the return of the McLaren team’s home away from home – the buzzing Brand Centre, but a new-look pit garage, a handful of car parts to test and of course, Fernando Alonso’s home race. Look out for passionate Fernando fans with their Asturian flags, cheering on their homegrown hero and the team!
Despite having finished on points in all the previous four races this season, Alonso believes there is still a long road ahead for the team and much scope for improvement. Being the home race for him, Alonso said he looked forward to performing well in his home country this weekend.
Fernando Alonso Alonso said: “It’s great to be back in Europe, in Spain, and at home! You can never beat the feeling of racing in front of your home fans. I’m very lucky that we get to race in my country of birth as not all drivers get that opportunity, and every year the support from the Spanish fans gets bigger and better.
“The Spanish Grand Prix represents the start of a very busy few months leading up to the summer break – both for McLaren and for me with my other racing commitments. I’m more than ready for the challenge and I’m really excited to see what the next few races bring us.
“I know we have some developments in the pipeline, but we also know there is no magic bullet that will propel us to the front of the grid overnight. There has been a lot of work happening at the factory and there is still a lot of work to do.
“So in Barcelona, it’s a chance to evaluate some new things, see where we are, and determine the direction that we take with car development as we progress through the season. As always, and especially after the battle we fought in Baku, I’m really looking forward to pushing hard on track again this weekend in front of my home fans.”
Stoffel Vandoorne Alonso’s team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne said: “Heading back to European races always feels very satisfyingly familiar, especially in Barcelona. We all know the track very well and spend a lot of time there. In fact, it doesn’t feel that long ago that we were there during pre-season testing!
“Thankfully, the weather should be a little bit more reliable this time around. Although we do a lot of testing here and we have a lot of data about the circuit, we weren’t able to do a lot of representative running pre-season due to the weather conditions and the issues we had.
“However, I’ve spent time back at the factory in the simulator since Baku, so the key will be to translate that information to the track and get a read on our package as soon as possible on Friday. That package will include a few new components that we’ll be working hard to learn about and evaluate on Friday. There’ll be a lot to assess and for sure other teams will be planning the same thing, so as always we’ll need to race hard, ensure good reliability, and optimise our strategy to be able to come home with more points.”
Eric Boullier Eric Boullier, Racing Director, said: “The whole team is looking forward to heading back to Barcelona. It’s a great circuit – one of the classics on the calendar – and it always feels good to start the second chapter of the season as we start racing again in Europe.
“This also means the return of our much-loved Brand Centre, and having all the teams’ hospitality units back in the Paddock brings a real ‘back-to-school’ feeling. For us, being Fernando’s home race, the support we receive is nothing short of spectacular, and the fans always bring another level of enthusiasm.
“Like most teams, we’re planning to bring some new parts to the car to test on Friday and decide which of these to take forward into the rest of the weekend, and the coming races. While for logistical reasons Barcelona was the most logical time to implement these, it’s part of a season-long plan to develop the car as we always do until the final race.
“We’re taking each grand prix weekend step-by-step, and hope we can begin to address the challenges we know we face with our package. We’re all gunning for a positive weekend for both cars in front of Fernando’s home crowd.”
The essentials
Focus points: Gaining a quick understanding of the car and the conditions. The teams had eight days of winter testing at the Circuit de Catalunya, but the weather was unrepresentative. Snow, rain and single-digit temperatures resulted in little meaningful performance testing, which gives the teams little relevant data going into this weekend.
Most demanding section: Turns One, Two and Three. Turns One and Two are deceptively fast, taken at 180km/h (112mph), and many drivers hit the inside kerbs to help rotate the car and aid direction change. Turn Three is a breathtakingly fast right-hander, through which the cars accelerate to 285km/h (177mph) at the exit.
Unique difficulty: Barcelona has an eclectic mix of corners, and that is the circuit’s unique difficulty. Sectors One and Two are high-speed, through which aerodynamic efficiency is crucial; Sector Three is all about slow-speed mechanical grip. To be fast, a car needs to work in every type of corner.
Braking: There are eight braking events around the lap, but only two significant stops – into Turns One and 10. Turn One is the most severe corner for the brakes, with the cars scrubbing off 215km/h (134mph) in just 100m/0.0621 miles, which subjects the drivers to 5.6g.
Power: The cars use 1.7kg of fuel per lap, which is average for the season. It’s quite a demanding race for the ERS as well because there are two long periods of full deployment.
Aero: After running a low downforce configuration in Baku, it’s back to maximum downforce in Barcelona. The eclectic mix of corners, particularly the slow-speed chicanes in Sector Three, mean the best lap times are achieved by maximising cornering performance.
Source (text and photos): McLaren F1 team
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Alonso and McLaren hoping for another points-scoring race in Baku
Baku (Azerbaijan), 24 April 2018: Having finished among points in all three rounds so far this season, former double World champion Fernando Alonso (McLaren) was positive that he would continue his consistent performance in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix here this weekend.The Spanish ace also hoped that he would replicate his last year’s performance at this circuit when the team earned its first points of the 2017 season.
“Last year’s race in Baku was certainly a memorable one for us. It was a crazy Grand Prix and we scored our first points of the season there, so we’ll naturally be looking to repeat that this weekend.
“Even though it’s only been on the calendar for a short time, this circuit is already known among the drivers as a great racer’s track. It’s the fastest street track of the year and also one of the longest, so it’s pretty tough on the car and the driver, but that’s definitely part of the appeal.
“We know our limitations and where we need to improve our package, and, although we bring parts to test to every race weekend, we aren’t anticipating a radical change in our performance in Baku. However, we’re learning more and more about the behaviour of our car each time we step into the cockpit, and in Azerbaijan we’ll be maximising everything we have as usual to score as many points as possible,” said Alonso.
Team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne said: “Baku City Circuit is a pretty tough, but also enjoyable track, and it’s quite challenging for the drivers. You literally drive through the historic centre of the old town which was a really cool experience last year, and overtaking is tricky on the narrow streets.
“Saying that, we saw anything but a processional race last year and hopefully we can take advantage of any drama that this track throws at us next weekend. Last year was tough as the only real overtaking opportunity is at the end of the long straight, and it’ll be tricky for us again, but we’ll see what’s possible with the MCL33.
“As well as making sure we set ourselves up on the right strategy, for me the start will be crucial on Sunday. I’ve not had the best starts over the last couple of races and with overtaking tough here we need to try to maximise our starting position. In China, we fought hard but I picked up some floor damage which made pushing ahead very difficult, so I’m looking forward to a tight battle in the midfield and progressing as much as we can in the race.”
Eric Boullier, Racing Director, said: “On a track where drama and action seem to have become almost par for the course in Baku given last year’s events, strategy will be a key factor in next weekend’s race. We know our package tends to deliver more on Sundays, so the important thing will be to react quickly to anything that happens.
“We must keep our heads down, push hard and take any and every opportunity that comes our way. Both of our drivers have raced brilliantly in the first grands prix of the season and I know they’ll be relishing the opportunity to maximise what they have underneath them in Baku.
“This fast, challenging street circuit has already become a welcome and exciting location on the calendar and we’ve witnessed some great battles. Overtaking is at a premium, so, while we don’t underestimate the importance of our starting grid slots for Sunday’s race, we’re also looking forward to the challenge that racing through these historic city streets brings.”
Focus points
Straight-line speed and slow-corner grip: Downforce levels are the second-lowest of the year, after Monza, in an attempt to maximise top speeds along the pit-straight, where the cars are on full-throttle for 24s. The focus for the engineers is to shave off as much downforce as possible, while still working the tyres hard enough to keep them in their operating window.
Most demanding section: Turns Eight to 12. This series of left-right flicks alongside the medieval wall of Baku’s Old Town is also the narrowest section of the track – just 7.6m at its narrowest point. The drivers have to be very precise with their steering inputs and throttle application, which is made all the more difficult by incessant camber changes and a sharp incline in the road.
Unique difficulty: The 2.1km/1.305-mile pit-straight produces the highest top speeds of the year. In 2016, Valtteri Bottas clocked 378kmph / 235mph here, although speeds were slightly slower last year due to the wider-format cars. At these speeds, the brakes cool dramatically, making braking for Turn One particularly difficult.
Braking: There are six significant braking events around the lap, the hardest being into Turn One, where the cars slow from very high speed. The rest of the lap is relatively slow (there are nine third-gear corners) and it’s a delicate balance to optimise brake cooling.
Power: The cars use 2kg of fuel per lap, which is high, and without a Safety Car period, the cars are unable to complete the race without a degree of fuel saving. It’s also a demanding race for the ERS because there are long periods of full deployment.
Aero: Despite being a street track, Baku is a low-downforce circuit. In terms of aero package, it’s the second lowest downforce package of the season, after Monza.
McLaren Press Release
Baku (Azerbaijan), 24 April 2018: Having finished among points in all three rounds so far this season, former double World champion Fernando Alonso (McLaren) was positive that he would continue his consistent performance in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix here this weekend.