Nyck de Vries set for a comeback? Why he is the perfect man for McLaren
General
- Ludo van Denderen
Could Nyck de Vries make a comeback to Formula One? It just might be, now that the Dutchman left a fine impression at McLaren during a private test of the 2022 car. CEO Zak Brown revealed in Las Vegas that McLaren will decide after the season whether De Vries will have a role at the team. The two have a history together as well.
Test driver, reserve driver or one of the simulator drivers; there would be plenty of options for the Dutchman within McLaren. And if McLaren are indeed smart, they will get the signature of the current Formula E and WEC driver immediately for 2025. Indeed, De Vries has shown in the past to be an excellent addition to a team. There was a reason why Mercedes preferred not to lose him when he was a reserve driver there, but the Germans didn't stop him to join the Red Bull family for the 2023 season as a full-time driver.
De Vries' qualities to come in handy for McLaren
De Vries' time at AlphaTauri was not a success (partly due to the mediocre car he had at his disposal), but the experience he gained there and thus earlier at Mercedes could be of great value for McLaren. That is what the Dutchman brings to the table, he can speak from his experience. A young driver would not be able to do that.
Moreover, De Vries was part of the McLaren Academy in the past and already knows the team and their values. Therefore, he does not need time to get used to how things work at Woking. De Vries is also known as a real team player, someone who does not try to constantly lurk over the shoulders of the full-time drivers at all. The Dutchman is also not at all thinking about returning as a full-time driver. Of course, he would not say 'no' if the opportunity would be given to him, but that's not his goal to begin with.
De Vries to become 'the Buemi' of McLaren?
With Pato O'Ward and Ryo Hirakawa, McLaren have two fast drivers under contract for test and simulator work, but they lack a lot of what De Vries has. Rather, it makes sense to compare De Vries to Sebastien Buemi. The Swiss driver works in the background and is a driving force behind the development of Red Bull Racing's cars. Like De Vries, an experienced driver in Formula 1, in WEC and Formula E.
So McLaren would be crazy not to sign De Vries in some way. And also, who knows what happens if Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri are unexpectedly unavailable during a Grand Prix...
This article was written in collaboration with Kada Sarkozi
Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels!