Fuji will be Vandoorne's final bow for Peugeot

The 2026 6 Hours of Fuji will, for now at least, mark Stoffel Vandoorne’s 28th and final WEC start as a Peugeot factory driver.

The Belgian, a former McLaren Formula 1 driver, has scored three overall WEC podium finishes to date. Two came with SMP Racing and its BR1 in LMP1 in 2019, including a third-place finish overall at Le Mans, while his most recent podium came with Peugeot and the 9X8 at COTA in 2025.

Vandoorne’s strongest WEC season came in 2021 with Jota in LMP2, when he scored five podium finishes in six races and finished runner-up in the class championship.

“It was always planned this way, and I’ve known it would be the case all season. I’m happy with my future plans, and I hope we can finish this on a high," Vandoorne, who is rumored to be stepping into the Jaguar TCS Racing Formula E seat vacated by Mitch Evans, told RACER.

No decision has been made regarding Peugeot’s replacement for Vandoorne, with options for Peugeot including new signing Robert Shwartzman and development driver Alex Quinn. RACER expects both cars to remain three driver crews to the end of the season in Vandoorne’s absence.