Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne will replace New Zealander Brendon Hartley in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and Britain’s Jenson Button in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, his team, SMP Racing announced.
“I decided to spend more time at home with my partner during her pregnancy instead of spending two weeks at Le Mans,” Button explained in a statement.
“The decision is easier now, I have the feeling that Toyota is currently unbeatable” in the world endurance championship (WEC), he pointed out.
Vandoorne, 27, will share LMP1 number 11 with Russians Vitaly Petrov and Mikhail Aleshin at Spa-Francorchamps on May 4, and at the iconic French event on June 15 and 16.
The Belgian driver, who started in Formula 1 with McLaren in 2017 and 2018, races this year in Formula E with HWA Racelab, with whom he signed his first podium (3rd) on Saturday in Rome. He is also a simulator driver for the Formula 1 Mercedes team. AFP