Being axed from F1 left Stoffel Vandoorne losing his love for motorsport.
But just four years after McLaren decided to end his time on motorsport's top table, the Belgian sits on the brink of winning the Formula E world championship - and proving his doubters wrong.
Vandoorne heads to Seoul for this weekend’s season-concluding double-header with a 36 point lead over closest challenger Mitch Evans. It will take something of a complete catastrophe to lose it from here.
He joined Mercedes in the all-electric series immediately after he was thrown to one side by McLaren and has flourished since. After watching team-mate Nyck De Vries scrape the title on the final day of the 2021 season, Vandoorne was desperate to become the team’s No.1.
Coincidentally, McLaren join Formula E next season, taking the place of the Mercedes team. But for Vandoorne, there will be no happy reunion with the Woking-based outfit. He will move to the DS Penske team, with memories of his axing from F1 still leaving a scar.
Recalling his time at McLaren, Vandoorne said: “It didn't feel like a nice environment, when you're not 100 per cent supported and wanted by your team, it is very hard to perform at your best in those conditions. At the time, it was difficult.
“As a kid, you have this dream of getting to Formula One. Even myself, I was imagining my Formula One career to be more successful than it was.
“It was tough to deal with at the time to know that suddenly that story was coming to an end.
“But I managed to switch my mind quite quickly to the Formula E programme. I really enjoyed having that change. To suddenly become part of the Mercedes family and be back in a completely different environment, it helped me at that time.
“During 2018, I lost a bit of love for the passion of the sport because there was a lot of politics to deal with and things weren't going my way.
“I lost my love for the sport and I managed to regain that by the change of environment and telling myself that I am lucky to end up with one of the best manufacturers in a very competitive series.
“Now, I have been able to fight for victories and championships again, it has helped get that fire and love back.”
That determination is akin to that seen by Vandoorne in his days in GP2, which was then F1’s feeder series.
In 2015, he was widely considered one of motorsport’s next big things, when he romped to the title by over 100 points; the sort of dominance that F1’s feeder series has not seen since.
Vandoorne said: “The year I had in GP2 was the most dominant one that I had - and probably one of the most dominant ones in history, with victories, poles and and everything. I was hoping that I could get into a similar position in Formula One. I certainly felt capable of doing a very good job there as well.
“It just felt that wherever I ended up in Formula One, it was like the wrong place at the wrong time. I never really had the opportunity to fight for podiums or victories, let alone a championship. I just had to deal with a very different scenario.
“To arrive into a team that was in a lot of changeover, the car not being great, changes on the management side of things as well, me being new to Formula One, there were a lot of things that didn't go the right way at the time.
“I think it was a good lesson. I definitely grew as a personality from there. It has made me a more complete driver right now, compared to what I was then.”
You get the sense speaking to Vandoorne that he is a man very sure of his own capabilities. Sure, his standing in motorsport took a knock during his time in F1, but his own confidence in his abilities did not.
After getting to grip with the super-technical Formula E cars during his first year, he went on to finish second in the championship in 2020, ninth in 2021 (but could still mathematically have won the title heading into the final race) and now should be crowned champion this year.
“I think for me personally, it would be the best championship that I have won, purely because it would be the first professional championship I have won,” Vandoorne said.
“Previously I have won championships which meant a lot for my career, but they were in the feeder series. But now, I am there with manufacturers, people who have won championships in other series and it just feels like it means a little bit more. All of the guys in Formula E are top class drivers in a lot of series beforehand. It feels like a little bit more.
“I am confident in my own abilities that I can beat everyone over a championship. But it's not just one season, you have to be able to replicate that all of the time. This season, I feel like I have done a very good job at that so far. I am just trying to do the best for myself.”
As for F1, very few drivers return to motorsport’s top table after their stint comes to an end. But Vandoorne refuses to say never again.
“For me, it is different because I have been there before,” he says. “My mindset is not that I must try everything in my power to get back there. I know the best tool for me is to perform on track. If I keep performing on track, who knows if some opportunities would arise again in the future.
“But it is not like I am focused on that. I am focused on delivering on track. If people see you are doing well, then you get exposed to more opportunities. Who knows!
“The reality is that there are not that many drivers at the moment who are ready for Formula One or are there waiting to get into Formula One. I am focused on Formula E for the moment but if some opportunities come up, I will definitely think about it.”
Season 8 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship reaches its conclusion in Seoul, South Korea with a double-header on August 13 and 14, with both races live on terrestrial television on Channel 4 from 07:30 BST.
