'De Vries will leave Mercedes and drive a dual programme in 2023'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Nyck de Vries is on his way out The Race Nyck Vries is on his way out at Mercedes. According to the medium, a deal with Maserati is imminent and a double programme with Formula E and the WEC seems to be in the plan.
WEC and Formula E
De Vries is the reigning Formula E world champion and therefore a desirable driver. The Dutchman has been linked with a seat in F1 before, but De Vries cannot wait forever for one. After his test for Williams, things have gone awfully quiet and Oscar Piastri seems to be in a better position.
De Vries is said to be aiming for a double programme in 2023. He is already competing in the FE, but would also like to compete in the World Endurance Championship. De Vries has been a reserve driver for the successful Toyota team since 2020 and the Japanese manufacturer would like to give the Dutchman a permanent seat in 2023.
Maserati for De Vries
Mercedes and McLaren (who will take over the Mercedes FE team in 2023) are not keen on a double programme for their drivers, so De Vries will have to find a new team in FE. Maserati and Nissan would have the best chance of winning De Vries, according to The Race. Nissan is a competitor of Toyota, but Sebastien Buemi has been driving for both teams for years.
Yet Maserati seems to be the team where De Vries is most likely to win a seat. The Italian brand is taking over the Venturi team and will probably see Lucas di Grassi leave for Mahindra. De Vries would then form a driver's duo with Edoardo Mortara. An exceptionally strong driver duo, as the reigning world champion would be joined by last season's number two and this season's number three.