Nyck de Vries turned a year older on Tuesday and can blow out 29 candles. The driver from Uitwellingerga has had a turbulent year. Not only did his Formula 1 dream quickly turn into a nightmare, but a few days before his birthday, De Vries received even more bad news. He lost the substantive proceedings, which were initiated by his former sponsor Jeroen Schothorst.
In his younger years, De Vries made an impression in karting and McLaren was quick to add the talented driver to its talent program in 2010. A bright future lay ahead for the then only 15-year-old driver, but an F1 opportunity was not forthcoming. De Vries then mainly did simulator work for the British team, but in 2019 De Vries and McLaren would finally part ways.
The chance of seeing his Formula 1 wish come true then became increasingly smaller and the Frisian driver, now 24, was not getting any younger. After all, more and more drivers made their debut in the premier class of motorsport at a young age during this period. Max Verstappen, who made his debut in 2015 at the age of 17, is undoubtedly the most striking example of this, but Charles Leclerc and George Russell also soon followed. The last two drivers made their F1 debut in 2018 and 2019 immediately after winning the Formula 2 title. But for De Vries, who won the F2 championship in 2019, a concrete offer from an F1 team was not forthcoming. Yet three years later he would see his dream come true.
Mercedes tires crucial for De Vries
After his F2 title, De Vries signed a contract with Mercedes, for which he made his debut in Formula E, the electric counterpart of F1, in the 2019-2020 season. The Frisian driver made an immediate impression and immediately managed to win the world title in his first season. Mercedes’ Formula 1 department then rewarded him by awarding him his first official F1 kilometers during the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi in December 2020. In the following season he was associated with the German team as an official reserve driver.
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De Vries also fulfilled that role in 2022, but now he also had the opportunity to show his skills during official free training. And not only for Mercedes, but also for some other teams that used a power source from the German brand. He was also the reserve driver for a number of these teams, including Williams. And it was precisely with this racing team that he saw his long-cherished F1 wish come true in September 2022.
During the Grand Prix weekend in Italy, Alexander Abon ‘normally’ drove the first two free practice sessions for Williams, but on Saturday morning the British Thai developed acute appendicitis. De Vries was then called up as his replacement and the Frisian driver unexpectedly got his chance in Formula 1. He would seize it with both hands. Not only did he immediately beat his teammate Nicolas Latifi on Saturday, but a day later he would do himself and Williams a huge favor by scoring two important points. But this success would also have a downside.
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F1 dream becomes nightmare
His surprisingly strong performance at the Monza circuit not only earned him his F1 debut, but also a permanent contract for the following season. Red Bull Racing was impressed by the Italian performance of the driver from Uitwellingerga and, partly thanks to a good word from Verstappen, De Vries was offered a contract for 2023 with AlphaTauri, Red Bull’s sister team. However, only then did the misery begin.
While De Vries was busy preparing for his first full season in the premier class of motor racing, it was announced in January 2023 that Schothorst had filed summary proceedings against him. The real estate millionaire had provided the Dutch driver with a loan in 2018 so that he could continue to pursue his F1 dream. The agreement was that De Vries would repay the loan amount of a quarter of a million euros, plus three percent interest, to Schothorst if he was on the F1 grid as a driver by 2022 at the latest. If not, the loan would be forgiven. De Vries believed that he would only work as a test driver in F1 until 2022, but Schothorst thought differently due to his performance in the 2022 Italian GP and the subsequent contract with AlphaTauri for 2023. At the beginning of February, De Vries was vindicated, but Schothorst would not leave it at that and started proceedings on the merits.
After the judge’s ruling, De Vries hoped that the ‘wind would now die down’, but it would soon rear its head again. His performance at AlphaTauri was severely below par and Helmut Marko increasingly began to openly criticize the Dutchman. And after the British Grand Prix that was enough. De Vries was fired and after only ten races his adventure at AlphaTauri was over. What followed was a long silence, but at the end of the year there was some positive news for De Vries.
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New racing opportunities and financial setbacks
After his dismissal from AlphaTauri, De Vries decided to put racing on the back burner and focused on a Negotiation and Leadership course at Harvard University. However, it did not take long before De Vries revived his racing career. At the end of September he signed a contract with the Mahindra Formula E team and two months later he was also confirmed as one of Toyota’s regular drivers in the WEC (World Endurance Championship).
However, his return to Formula E is not yet full of success. After three races, De Vries’ counter is still at zero points. The Frisian driver undoubtedly hoped to be able to fully focus on making progress with Mahindra, but the Amsterdam court put a stop to that last week. The court ruled in favor of Schothorst in the substantive proceedings he initiated and De Vries must therefore still repay the agreed amount, plus interest. The Dutchman announced through his management that he is still considering the next steps. De Vries had undoubtedly hoped for better news, so close to his birthday.
