Vandoorne Stays at Peugeot; Vergne Steps Back from Seat

Photo: MPS Agency

Peugeot has confirmed that Stoffel Vandoorne will remain a part of its FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar lineup next year in a reversal of initial plans, while Jean-Eric Vergne is taking a step back from his racing duties to focus on a developmental role.

The French manufacturer has been one of the key players in what has been a busy Hypercar driver market for next year, having previously announced the signing of Nick Cassidy, the promotion of Theo Pourchaire and the departure of Mikkel Jensen.

Additionally, Peugeot had previously stated Vandoorne would also be leaving its driver lineup, but the Belgian is understood to have reversed his decision after plans to join Genesis Magma Racing’s Hypercar program fell through.

However, Vandoorne will not compete in this weekend’s 8 Hours of Bahrain season finale, as Pourchaire will instead be making his race debut in the No. 94 Peugeot 9X8 alongside Malthe Jakobsen and Loic Duval.

In the sister No. 93 car, Vergne is heading into what is set to be his last WEC race for the foreseeable future, with the 35-year-old set to take on a development role in combination with his commitments to the newly formed Citroën Racing operation in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

This is believed to be around a possible all-new car that Peugeot could debut by as early as the 2027 season.

Similarly to Vandoorne, Vergne has been a part of Peugeot’s WEC driver lineup since the team debuted at Monza in 2022. He was part of its second-placed finish at Fuji last month.

Source: Sports Car 365