F1 issued 'not prepared' warning over electric trick

Stoffel Vandoorne has highlighted the value of Formula E drivers for Formula 1, with teams not being "really prepared" for the major push towards electrification.

Since racing for McLaren in F1 during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, much of Vandoorne’s career has been spent in Formula E—the FIA’s only all-electric single-seater series.

The Belgian raced in Formula E from 2018 until the end of last season, competing for HWA Racelab, Mercedes-EQ, DS Penske, and, most recently, Maserati.

He is off the grid for the current season but serves in a reserve role for Jaguar, playing a major part in the development of its Gen4 car.

Alongside his Formula E commitments, the 33-year-old has supported Aston Martin as a reserve driver since the end of 2022 and has been involved in the development of its 2026 car.

F1’s new power-unit regulations, featuring a 50/50 split between electrical power and internal combustion, have seen several teams lean on Formula E drivers for support, given the lack of understanding around energy preservation and electrical deployment.

It is a complicated technology to get on top of, but an area Formula E drivers have more knowledge of than F1.

Asked if F1 teams are starting to respect Formula E drivers more for the level of knowledge they hold, Vandoorne told RacingNews365 during an interview: "Yeah, and I think a lot of what we guys are doing in Formula E, F1 isn’t really prepared for yet, because they’ve never had to focus that much on energy management, deployment and stuff like that.

"I think having the Formula E experience is a big benefit in guiding Formula 1 teams, especially with the tools they need to develop to optimise their simulations.

"Because up until now, they’ve never really had to be, let’s say, super-perfect in that aspect, because there wasn’t that much electrical deployment.

"From this year, obviously, it’s a massive change. A lot more of the Formula E knowledge is going to come into play in Formula 1 as well.

"So it does make sense for us to give input on those ways of working, those ways of optimising strategies, and guiding them on what is realistic, what is not realistic, what is drivable and what is not drivable."