Vandoorne makes surprise return to Peugeot

Just a day after announcing the departure of Mikkel Jensen from its Hypercar factory driver roster for 2026, Peugeot has confirmed that Stoffel Vandoorne will make a surprise return for next season, as Jean-Éric Vergne steps back to focus on development duties.

The Belgian joined Peugeot in 2023, making his race debut at that year’s 6 Hours of Fuji in place of the injured Nico Müller. He then joined the full-time roster for 2024, with the headline result being a podium finish at this year’s Lone Star Le Mans event at the Circuit of the Americas.

Vandoorne’s Peugeot contract expired after the previous FIA WEC event at Fuji, with the 33-year-old replaced in the No. 94 9X8 for this weekend’s season finale by Théo Pourchaire, who will join the team in a full-time race seat in 2026.

However, an agreement has now been reached for Vandoorne to return to the team, with the French marque confirming it with a humorous video post on social media earlier today.

Vandoorne’s drive at Peugeot adds a race program to his 2026 plans, which previously only involved a reserve driver deal at Jaguar TCS Racing in FIA Formula E.

The opening for Vandoorne was created by Vergne stepping back into a development role. The Frenchman will race in FIA Formula E with Citroën in 2026, alongside developing Stellantis Motorsport’s fourth-generation Formula E powertrain. RACER is also aware that Peugeot is looking into building a successor to its 9X8 Hypercar, which Vergne looks set to help mould.

Vergne has raced for Peugeot since the manufacturer made its FIA WEC debut in 2022, scoring three podiums for the brand, including its first at Monza in 2023, and last time out at Fuji Speedway.

This is the latest move Peugeot has made to its driver squad ahead of the off-season. Nick Cassidy and Pourchaire have been confirmed to be joining the 9X8 programme as full-time drivers, with Mikkel Jensen departing and Vergne now stepping back.