Interview
De Vries gives an insight: this is what Wolff says during the races
- GPblog.com
The broadcasting of the conversations of the team management with the drivers and the race direction gave an extra dimension to the Grands Prix. The conversations between Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and race director Michael Masi during the final phase of the race in Abu Dhabi has become legendary. No doubt many fans would like to secretly listen to what is said in the pit box during the race.
Participation
As Mercedes' reserve driver Nyck de Vries has the privilege of seeing the action up close. The Dutchman usually stands to Wolff's right, while the communications director stands to the Austrian's left. "I'm definitely talking along," revealed De Vries in an exclusive interview to GPblog.
"The three of us talk about everything we observe during a race. Toto of course has direct contact with the pitwall. So if there are questions, or things we see, they are passed on to the team. It's not like I'm standing there watching for an hour or two. It's instructive to be able to watch how the battle (between Hamilton and Verstappen) goes."
Interesting
When asked what big, new things he learns from his work in the pit box, the reigning Formula E World Champion responded: "It's not something you learn. It's not a key to success. It's just interesting to observe how such a successful team operates To see what kind of people they are, how long they have worked, what the attitude is, how one communicates. How the drivers react in different situations and how they deal with it."
Still, being a reserve driver there is of great value to De Vries. "It's just our world, our sport that I live in. That's what I grew up in, that's what I do. And you can compare it all to what I've experienced and also do. So that's just very instructive," he said.