De Vries reveals interest from these top teams at the start of his career

Nyck de Vries spent years in McLaren’s young driver program, but his path could have been very different. The Dutchman was also in discussions with Ferrari and Red Bull at the time but ultimately chose McLaren, feeling it was the best fit for him.

De Vries left the McLaren Young Driver Programme ahead of the 2019 Formula 1 season, having been part of the team for more than eight years. "So when in 2009, I was still in juniors. We won the European Championship and all the WSKs. And then, yeah, basically that winter we signed with McLaren. And in 2010, I was already part of the young driver," De Vries explains to the Cool Room Podcast.

The Dutchman reveals that he talked to more Formula 1 teams during that period. “Yeah, we didn’t have a formal offer from Red Bull at the time, but I did meet Dr. Marko in Monza to speak about it. But yeah, I definitely went to Maranello. I met Stefano Dominicali, who is obviously now boss of the FOM. And we had several conversations with other people, but we just felt that the approach McLaren had towards their young driver program was something we felt comfortable with. Hence we decided to take that direction." De Vries said.

Nyck de Vries took over Pierre Gasly’s seat at AlphaTauri in 2023 but was replaced by Daniel Ricciardo after just 10 races. Following a period of rest and reflection, he made his return to Formula E with Mahindra in 2024 while also securing a seat with Toyota Gazoo Racing in the WEC. He is set to continue with both teams next year.

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This article was written in collaboration with Toby Nixon