F1 News
A shock Formula 1 return on the cards for De Vries? 'We're evaluating him'
Nyck de Vries tested on behalf of McLaren at the former French Grand Prix host circuit Paul Ricard last week. The test was successful for the Dutchman, as he drove the 2022 McLaren car on the day. Speaking to Viaplay, McLaren CEO Zak Brown talked about the test, explaining that there is a possibility that the former Alpha Tauri driver will have a role with the Papaya team in the future.
Speaking to GPblog, McLaren revealed that a private test was held in France. This also saw development driver Ryo Hirakawa in action. The Japanese driver is one of the team's reserves and, like De Vries, drivers for Toyota Gazoo Racing in the World Endurance Championship.
De Vries, who spent time at McLaren as a youngster, impressed Brown with his performance. "It went really well. He's obviously got a long history in his early career with McLaren, which is going through our TPC program. (We're) evaluating a few drivers, and Nyck is one of those few drivers," Brown explained.
Will De Vries return to F1?
Brown also explained exactly what McLaren is looking for with this testing that they've been carrying out. The American also made a tongue-in-cheek comment about his own involvement. "Kind of all of the above, simulator drivers test drivers tyre testing, unfortunately, they won't let me do it, so we had to look elsewhere, and Nyck's obviously a great talent. So we wanted to kind of reacquaint ourselves with him, and he did a good job. So we'll see what happens." Brown explained.
So, when will a decision be made on De Vries' future? "Probably the end of the year," Brown concluded. Although his short stint in the Red Bull family was tough, a second F1 opportunity looks like it could be arising with McLaren.
This article was written in collaboration with Cas van de Kleut
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