Vandoorne set for Mercedes F1 involvement as part of HWA deal

Stoffel Vandoorne will play a role in Mercedes’ Formula 1 programme from 2019 as part of his Formula E deal with HWA, which is linked to the German manufacturer.

Vandoorne will make his final F1 start for McLaren this weekend in Abu Dhabi ahead of his move into Formula E, where he will debut for the new HWA Racelab team in Saudi Arabia on December 15.

HWA will evolve into the Mercedes factory Formula E team for the 2019/20 season, giving Vandoorne a link to the manufacturer that he previously worked with when it was McLaren’s F1 engine supplier.

Vandoorne confirmed when asked by Crash.net in Abu Dhabi that he would be involved in Mercedes’ F1 project next year, expressing his excitement for the new role.

“I will be involved with them. I’ll be doing the simulator work for them in the Formula 1 team, with Mercedes,” Vandoorne said.

“That’s an exciting part for me as well, to still be involved in the F1 world and to be with the world champions as well. For me it will be a very interesting move as well.

“I’m sure I can bring them a lot of fresh ideas but also for me to see the differences there are because I’ve only worked with McLaren in Formula 1. So it’s exciting for me as well to have a bit of a fresh environment.”

While Vandoorne has said he is not treating Formula E as a stop-gap ahead of a possible return to F1 after two difficult years with McLaren, he acknowledged the importance of keeping links open through Mercedes.

“It’s definitely good to keep involved in the [F1] world, because you never know what happens in the future,” Vandoorne said.

“I think to be involved with Mercedes and to perform the work for them it’s good that they will know exactly what I’m capable of doing.

“We don’t know what the driver market is going to do in the future. It was a bit crazy this season and who knows what it’ll be next season. It’s hard to tell.

“So it’s good to be involved and to be prepared for anything that comes up."