No matter what happens, without the support of his family, he would not have pursued his ambitions in racing to reach his current position in 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 racing from the start. I was involved in various sports growing up, but none of them ignited the same passion within me as racing. I started racing at five years old, but it was purely by chance that I embarked on this path.
“My family had no connection or involvement in racing. My father is an architect and he ended up designing the restaurant at a kart track near our house. He befriended the owner and whenever my dad went to work, I would accompany him. The owner allowed me to drive whenever I was there, and that’s how I caught the racing bug.
“At home, we turned our tennis court into an improvised track, creating small circuits using tires, and I would go around non-stop. Those were my first forays into the world of racing. As a child, I never contemplated the sacrifices and challenges necessary to pursue racing; all I was focused on was having fun.”
Vandoorne recalled: “As soon as I started doing well, I started asking more and more of my dad, and he had to find ways to financially support my aspirations. I was not fully aware of the financial burden my family endured so that I could pursue my dreams.”
“When you are young, you tend to take everything for granted. Now that I am older, I understand and value the sacrifices my family made for me to pursue my passion,” added Vandoorne.
As for his chances of returning to the Formula 1 grid… Currently, they are not very promising, unless a team is willing to take a risk with him. Meanwhile, since his last appearance at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2018, he has made 41 starts in the premier racing series.
Vandoorne clinched the Formula E 2021/22 Drivers’ Championship title, after which Aston Martin confirmed that the 32-year-old Belgian would join their F1 team as a test and reserve driver. Since then, he has remained in the background, patiently waiting for an opportunity.
During an interview last year, when asked about the possibility of returning to F1, he told Reuters: “You can never definitively say never. It’s just not possible to predict what will happen in someone’s career in the coming years.”
