Nyck de Vries in the Williams garage. Spain May 2022. Credit: PA Images
Dutch racer Tom Coronel said although Nyck de Vries already has other opportunities available, a Formula 1 seat would surely allow an exit.
De Vries came into the Italian Grand Prix weekend expecting just a FP1 outing, his third of the season, this time with Aston Martin.
But, when Williams announced that Alex Albon was suffering with appendicitis and could not continue the race weekend, the door opened for De Vries to get involved in the Saturday and Sunday action at Monza.
The Dutchman certainly did not disappoint, outqualifying team-mate Nicholas Latifi in his first qualifying outing, before recording a P9 finish in the race, scoring points on debut.
De Vries’ name has cropped up in driver market discussions over recent years, including as a contender to join Williams for 2022 before Albon was signed, but his Monza performance has now firmly put him in the conversation for a 2023 seat.
Coronel said that De Vries, the 2019 Formula 2 champion and 2020-21 Formula E champ, was “born to race”, and although he knows that his compatriot has options on the table outside of Formula 1, he is sure that an offer to race in F1 could get him out of any paperwork.
De Vries’ Mercedes team have now concluded their Formula E programme, and with De Vries not continuing as McLaren take over the outfit, his future is not yet decided.
“This guy was made to race,” Coronel told Viaplay, as per Motorsport.com. “He has devoted his whole life to it. And he will continue to do so for the rest of his life.
“He already has very good deals in his pocket for next year. But I’m sure there’s an option in there that says, ‘if I get a Formula 1 seat…’”
Although De Vries is yet to appear full-time on the F1 grid, the CV which the 27-year-old has put together outside of the series should speak volumes, in Coronel’s opinion.
And as for De Vries’ form in the junior categories, Coronel points to the 2018 F2 season, where De Vries finished behind George Russell, Lando Norris and Albon in the standings that year, all three now starring in Formula 1 with Russell and Norris in particular tipped for very bright futures.
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Coronel added that only bad luck stopped De Vries from finishing as runner-up in the standings that year.
“You shouldn’t look at the age,” Colonel suggested. “That age is just an extra because of all the experience he brings with him. As a result, he makes fewer mistakes.
“All the critics have been shouting for years that he couldn’t do this. But you have to remember the 2018 Formula 2 Championship. George Russell was champion, Lando Norris was second, Alexander Albon third and De Vries fourth. In the last few races, he had engine problems. Otherwise, he would have easily finished second in that championship. Nyck just belongs in Formula 1.”
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