Mercedes F1 reserve driver Nyck de Vries will feature in Formula 1 for the third time this season, as he is set to replace Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin for FP1 at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend.
De Vries is regularly spotted watching the races from the comfort of the Silver Arrows garage, usually whilst standing next to team principal Toto Wolff.
Incredibly, Aston Martin will be the third team that the Dutch driver has driven for this season, with all of his appearances coming in FP1 sessions.
He drove for Williams Racing at the Spanish Grand Prix and for Mercedes at the French Grand Prix.
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The 2020/21 Formula E World Champion has been linked to a 2023 seat at Williams for some time now, with it looking like a duel between De Vries and F2 driver Logan Sargeant for Nicholas Latifi’s seat.
Should De Vries not be part of Williams’ driver line-up next season, then it is believed that he will sign for the new Maserati Formula E team for the all-electric championship’s ninth season.
A seat in F1 is supposedly his preferred option, with the Dutchman being incredibly excited to be driving Aston Martin’s AMR22 at the “legendary” Italian GP.
“I am really looking forward to driving for AMF1, particularly at such a legendary circuit as Monza,” said De Vries.
“It will be my third FP1 session of the season, and in the third different Formula One chassis and these opportunities have given me a fantastic insight into how Formula One cars and teams function and operate.
“I hope I can bring a fresh perspective to the AMF1 team and can undertake a run program that proves beneficial to us both.”
Team principal Mike Krack is “delighted” to be able to give De Vries the opportunity at Monza, where the Aston Martin boss is interested in the 27-year-old’s “perspectives and insights”.
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“We are delighted to welcome Nyck to our team, and we look forward to working with him at Monza,” said Krack.
“I have watched Nyck’s career with great interest – he drove brilliantly to win the Formula 2 title in 2019 and underlined his class by winning the Formula E World Championship in 2020/2021.
“We are looking forward to gaining his perspectives and insights about our car. His achievements show that he clearly deserves a shot at Formula One – and, hopefully, this opportunity to get behind the wheel of the AMR22 will allow him to showcase his abilities to the wider world.”
