Aston Martin driver confirms 'ongoing' contract discussions

Stoffel Vandoorne has confirmed he is in "ongoing discussions" with Aston Martin to continue with the British F1 outfit in a behind-the-scenes role.

The Belgian has played a crucial role in the development of the Silverstone-based team’s 2026 car, having spent much of last year working on it in the simulator.

It is a significant season for Aston Martin, which has officially become a Honda works outfit and the only team supplied with power units by the Japanese manufacturer.

Strong results are expected given the scale of Lawrence Stroll’s investment in the F1 team, spanning both infrastructure and high-profile personnel.

Vandoorne expects to remain with Aston Martin but attend fewer races, although a deal has yet to be agreed.

Asked in a RacingNews365 interview if he will continue with Aston Martin this year, Vandoorne answered: "Yeah, we’re still having some ongoing discussions.

"I think I’ll still have a role with them. I’ll definitely travel to fewer races, but probably a bit of simulator work is going to be more of the focus, let’s say.

"Nothing is finalised yet, but it’s heading in a good direction."

Vandoorne's 2026 Aston Martin work

Vandoorne has been with Aston Martin since joining as an official reserve and test driver ahead of the 2023 F1 season and has remained with the team ever since.

He previously raced in F1 for McLaren during the 2017 and 2018 campaigns, before moving to Formula E, where he became world champion in the all-electric series with Mercedes-EQ in 2022.

The level of trust between Aston Martin and Vandoorne is clear, given that the 33-year-old drove for the team in the end-of-season Abu Dhabi test last December.

In addition, his simulator work has been focused on the new regulations since F1’s return from the summer break last year and continued until the winter shutdown.

Discussing whether he supported Aston Martin’s 2026 development last year, Vandoorne explained: "Yeah, I was. I did my last day just before the winter shutdown.

"Already from August last year, pretty much every time I went to the sim it was mainly focused on 2026. Then obviously I did the Pirelli test in Abu Dhabi with them as well, and then went back to the sim after that.

"So yeah, it’s been mainly 2026-based, but it’s very hard to get a read on it. Obviously, we haven’t seen a car on track yet."