Nyck de Vries handed surprise drive with F1 team after brutal Red Bull exit

Nyck de Vries was axed from Formula 1 successful 2023 aft conscionable 10 races with Red Bull's sister team, but has precocious popped up elsewhere successful a investigating league for different outfit

Nyck de Vries was backmost down the instrumentality of a Formula 1 car astatine the weekend.

But it was not astatine the invitation of Red Bull, who axed him 10 races into the 2023 play aft helium failed to people a constituent for their sister squad. Nor was it with Mercedes, for whom helium had been a reserve operator anterior to landing his archetypal and, truthful far, lone F1 contention seat.

Instead, De Vries was spotted driving a McLaren astatine the Circuit Paul Ricard successful France. The 29-year-old was down the instrumentality of the team's MCL36, their challenger from the 2022 season.

Teams are restricted successful presumption of the moving of their existent machines but are allowed to person Testing of Previous Cars [TPC] programmes. Per the rules, they tin enactment drivers down the instrumentality of cars that are astatine slightest 2 years old, which tin often supply invaluable way clip for those with constricted oregon nary acquisition of F1 machinery.

For this session, McLaren called upon De Vries who besides utilized to beryllium a subordinate of their driving academy. The Dutchman was not successful request of F1 experience, though, having concisely raced successful 2023 until helium was replaced by Daniel Ricciardo.

He has since signed with Mahindra Racing to instrumentality to Formula E, wherever helium is simply a erstwhile champion, and besides competes successful the World Endurance Championship with front-runners Toyota Gazoo Racing.

Why De Vries took portion successful the investigating league astatine the play is not clear. It whitethorn beryllium the case, though, that it was primitively intended for Gabriel Bortoleto who precocious near the McLaren unchangeable to motion up to contention successful F1 for Sauber adjacent year, and that the arrangements had already been made truthful they simply switched drivers astatine abbreviated notice.

McLaren bash person a erstwhile narration with Toyota, having for galore years utilized the Japanese outfit's Cologne upwind passageway to make their cars. De Vries was portion of the operator trio which finished 3rd successful the WEC standings this year, representing Gazoo Racing.

What is not wide is wherefore McLaren did not crook to 1 of their galore different inferior and reserve drivers to instrumentality portion successful the rest. One specified candidate, Ryo Hirakawa, specifically became a improvement operator for the squad past twelvemonth arsenic portion of a 'knowledge sharing exercise' betwixt McLaren and Toyota.

As for De Vries, helium volition stay with minnows Mahindra for the adjacent Formula E run and took portion successful pre-season investigating astatine the Spanish Jarama circuit earlier this month. He volition besides proceed to spouse Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Conway successful the #7 GR010 Hybrid successful WEC and said: "We are determined to support warring for wins and championships."