Vandoorne to get back behind wheel of F1 car with Aston Martin in Pirelli tyre test

Stoffel Vandoorne will get back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car next week, as he is set to drive the Aston Martin AM23 for the Pirelli tyre test at Spa-Francorchamps.

The test will take place from August 1-2 and will mark the Belgian’s first experience of driving an F1 car since 2020, when he drove for Mercedes in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Young Drivers Test.

Prior to that he had raced for McLaren in F1 from 2016 through to 2018 before moving into Formula E, winning the 2021-22 championship with the Mercedes-EQ team.

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At the start of this year it was announced that Vandoorne would be joining Aston Martin as a reserve driver, sharing duties with Felipe Drugovich. He also performs a similar role for his former F1 team McLaren and has been a reserve for Mercedes in the past.

With Pirelli conducting a number of tyre tests through the season, it has given other drivers the opportunity to get back behind the wheel of F1 machinery. Mick Schumacher is one man who has had the chance to hit the track in tests in Barcelona and also at Silverstone.

Vandoorne took to Twitter shortly after the announcement that he would be driving for Aston Martin to share his own personal excitement. “Can’t wait to drive an F1 car again!” he wrote. “It’s been a while.”

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The 31-year-old is currently also still racing in Formula E this season for DS Penske, alongside another former F1 man in Jean-Eric Vergne. He is currently 11th in the driver standings with the final two rounds coming in London this upcoming weekend.