Stoffel Vandoorne is parting ways with Peugeot's World Endurance Championship Hypercar squad earlier than planned, as Motorsport.com reports. The former Formula 1 driver was originally scheduled to complete the season with the Paris-based outfit, but his exit has now been brought forward to follow this weekend's Fuji 6 Hours.
This early departure is a strange echo of past events. Just over 12 months ago, an immediate split was announced before Vandoorne ultimately returned after a mooted move to Genesis fell through, leaving him to miss only the Bahrain finale. This time, however, the Belgian is understood to have agreed a deal with Jaguar to replace the Opel-bound Mitch Evans, paving the way for his return to the all-electric championship after a one-year hiatus.
At Jaguar, Vandoorne is set to partner with Antonio Felix da Costa. The Portuguese driver returned to Hypercar this year with Alpine, though he was benched for the Fuji round as his team switched to two-driver line-ups. While Alpine team principal Philippe Sinault insisted that da Costa could still return at Barcelona and Monza, he did not rule out fielding two-driver crews again for the final two events of 2026.
Vandoorne's exit also comes against the backdrop of Formula E's upcoming Gen4 era, with pre-season testing at Jarama scheduled for 16-20 November, just a week after the WEC finale in Italy. The driver first stepped into the Peugeot fold back in 2023 at Fuji as a substitute for the injured Nico Mueller. He subsequently transitioned to a full-time role, contesting 18 races for the squad and securing a best Hypercar finish of third at Austin last year.
While Vandoorne has previously juggled Formula E and WEC programmes, he is not expected to remain in the Hypercar category with another brand next year. Peugeot has not yet named a replacement for the final two rounds of the season. The team is expected to give race mileage to either new-for-2027 signing Robert Shwartzman or reserve driver Alex Quinn, both of whom are set to step up to race seats next year as part of a wider driver shake-up.
