How F1's new determined Dutchman got his long-awaited break

On Christmas Day 2020, a special gift from his son awaited Hendrik de Vries, a Renault dealership owner and an amateur racing driver from the Netherlands. Nyck, who shares his father’s passion for racing, had realised one of his lifelong dreams just a couple of weeks before the holidays, by taking part in official Formula 1 testing for young drivers – and in title-winning machinery, too. De Vries made sure his dad would have something to remember a day that was so special for both of them.

“After my first season in Formula E I got given the rookie test with Mercedes for the first time, and I was super-excited and happy… because I thought I was never going to drive a Formula 1 car,” recalls the man who will be one of the 20 full-time drivers on the grid of the world’s main racing championship next year.

“I was super happy. And I have a very emotional relationship with my dad and my family, so for Christmas I gave him a picture from that Abu Dhabi test, when I first drove a Formula 1 car, and I wrote some things on the back. It basically said that ‘after so many years we finally drove one!’ And I remember we all cried.”

De Vries was already almost 26 at that point. He’d had a junior career full of successes but not exactly spectacular. He won two Formula Renault 2.0 titles in 2014 – in the Eurocup and Alps series – but it had taken him three years in the category to achieve that. He then finished third in his only season in Formula Renault 3.5 (trailing Oliver Rowland and Matthieu Vaxiviere, now regulars in Formula E and the World Endurance Championship respectively) before ending up sixth in GP3 the following year.

De Vries added the Formula 2 title to his list of achievements in 2019, but that too had taken him three full seasons in the category – so even a win in the most prestigious junior series didn’t put his name on F1 teams’ shortlists. And that Abu Dhabi test in December 2020 was more of a gift from Mercedes motorsport chief Toto Wolff to one of his Formula E drivers than anything else. De Vries admits he’d almost given up on his dream to line up at the start of an F1 grand prix.

“It kind of comes and goes,” he says of that dream. “Of course everyone’s goal is to be in Formula 1. I mean, every young driver shares that dream. But obviously, when I moved away from F1 after Formula 2, I kind of thought that that was going to be my direction.

“Has it ever gone away? No. But was it always consciously there? No. I guess when you always somehow keep some belief and work for it and fight for it, yeah… sooner or later things work out. And I just always believed hard work pays off. And yeah, I guess that’s applicable to this particular occasion.”

De Vries in action for Mercedes at the 2020 Abu Dhabi post-season test - when he thought he'd make his one and only F1 outing

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

When de Vries was still in karting, there was little reason to doubt he’d make it to F1 at some point. He was racing the likes of Carlos Sainz, Daniil Kvyat, Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly, and was arguably faster than all of them. Partly that was down to his frame – he was simply smaller than all his aforementioned peers.

In any case, even before stepping up to single-seaters de Vries joined the McLaren junior programme. But he couldn’t parlay that into becoming the next Lewis Hamilton, in part due to that small build.

“I think everyone’s career is unique, and everyone walks their own path,” he says of the fact that many of his karting mates have already spent several seasons in F1, scoring podiums and wins. “Of course, our karting times were very successful. But I think I had a slightly tougher time to start in single-seaters…

“Well, I say that, but then in my first season in Formula Renault, I was team-mates with Pierre [Gasly] and he had a year’s experience and actually I finished in front of him. And I remember my first Eurocup race I was on the podium with Daniil [Kvyat]. But still, I didn’t quite... it didn’t quite click in the beginning. Also me, physically, I was mature in terms of maturity for my age but, physically, my body was like 14. And I think that made a bigger difference than we realised at the time.

“I wasn’t fully in control. I might have been mature but emotionally I was always very committed to my career. And I think I was overdoing stuff. I just needed more time. And I think we’ve also maybe not had the right timing and momentum on our side.

"In Barcelona I was shitting myself. I was super-nervous, because that was a chance to show myself in a proper grand prix weekend" Nyck de Vries

“But everything happens for a reason. And even though you might think I could be frustrated for not being here [in F1] while I see 80% of my old friends [here], I think it’s always important to remind yourself of what you do have. It’s always easier to look at others and say, ‘ah, you know, he has that and I don’t, and he has this and I don’t’. But I’m also in a privileged position with everything that I’m doing, everything that I’m racing, and probably there are people who wish to be in my position as well. So I tried to be grateful for what I have.”

And there are certainly things to be grateful for, and proud of. In Formula E, de Vries added another title to his CV, one which in turn helped him revive his F1 dream. He was already a player in last year’s silly season, but talks with Williams, seeking a George Russell replacement, came to nought as the team opted for Alex Albon.

Yet de Vries would take another step towards an F1 seat, taking up the reserve driver role for several teams and getting to take part in several Friday practices, thanks to a rule change that now requires teams to give mileage to rookies. At Barcelona he made his debut in an official grand prix session, replacing none other than Albon behind the wheel of a Williams.

De Vries drove for five different F1 teams across 2022 in his super-sub/test/reserve/rookie role

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

“When I won F2 and went to Formula E, the only wish I had [was] to just drive a modern F1 car... just to get the feeling for it, because that’s what we’re all dreaming of,” he says. “And then you get the taste of that and then... suddenly they call you later during the winter to maybe consider you as a reserve. And then you travel to [grand prix] weekends. And then you get to do the rookie test again. And then this season they had this rule forcing teams to put rookie drivers in the car during FP1s.

“And I remember in Barcelona, I was shitting myself. I was super-nervous, because that was a chance to show myself in a proper grand prix weekend. Again, my parents showed up without [me] knowing and they were in the grandstand in front of me...”

It would be wrong to say unequivocably that the Monza weekend which gave de Vries a chance at an F1 start was the decisive moment which changed his career. He was already in talks with teams about racing in 2023 before the Italian GP, and his name was on several shortlists once the market kicked into gear following Sebastian Vettel’s retirement decision. But it was the Monza performance which allowed him to dispel any lingering doubts about his credentials.

He was originally there to do an FP1 session for Aston Martin – his third for the season, since he’d also run in France for Mercedes.

“Obviously, as a reserve driver, you’re here, kind of chilling,” he recalls of the Italian GP. “You’re speaking with people, drinking coffee. And actually, you never think the moment comes where you actually need to jump in.

“During the Monza weekend I was convinced that Friday with Aston Martin [was the only chance to drive], so on the Friday night I stayed till 11 or 11:30 with the Mercedes engineers at the track, because I was just curious how their Friday was. I was hanging and chilling with them. I was in bed at midnight, which for me is way too late.

“And then [on Saturday morning] I was in the Paddock Club for an appearance. There weren’t too many people at the time, because it was early in the morning. So we were just drinking some coffee, and then suddenly I got the call. And from that moment, I just remember I sent two messages, one to my family, and one to my girlfriend, and I only said 'I’m driving!' with exclamation marks.

PLUS: How de Vries made himself impossible to ignore for a belated F1 chance

“I think what I’m so grateful about is, first of all, it happened so quickly. So it was zero time to actually be conscious of what was happening and to get stressed. I was nervous, but there wasn’t a week lead-up to it, right? You just got thrown in deep and deal with it. So I almost think that helped in a way. And then on the Sunday... during the night I got very nervous.

His unexpected F1 race debut left him full of nerves but the way it came about helped de Vries

Photo by: Williams

“When you go into qualifying, you kind of... you feel pressure, and you know you have to deliver in that one lap and if you really want to stand out you need to be ahead of your team-mate. But during the night [ahead of the race] it switched quickly from just being so excited to then becoming very nervous.

“So, first, like happy and excited, just buzzing, not kind of being able to sleep because of the excitement and then through the night it changed to being nervous. There’s always doubts. And there was so much unknown that I had a lot of doubts. I think that made me nervous, because I’d done zero long running, I’d never done a start [in F1].

“And morning, waking up, I was like, ‘Ooof, it’s gonna be a tough day.’ But then the closer I got to the race, the more excited I got. And from the driver parade onwards, I loved every second of it. I was so happy to be there. And I remember when I walked from the grid to the toilets, there was someone interviewing me as I was walking to the toilets, and they’re like, ‘So, what’s your game plan? What’s your strategy?’ And I looked at them and said, ‘I’m just gonna have fun!’ Yeah, I will remember that forever.”

Getting to start a grand prix, having nearly given up on that dream, didn’t just mean the world to de Vries. His father was also beside himself with excitement.

After a Monday dinner with Max Verstappen, a friend since their karting days, de Vries made a speculative call to Dr Helmut Marko – and a few days later he was a guest of the Red Bull motorsport advisor in Graz

“He came to the race, and Dutch television tried to interview him on the grid,” de Vries smiles. “And he didn’t... there was no word coming out of him, because he was so emotional…

“And in the morning, on the Sunday... He always comes early. He’s always awake early. So he was at the track before me, he was sitting there, and I saw him and I gave him a hug, but I couldn’t even stand with him for a second because I could immediately feel we both, just looking at each other… almost started crying. We just couldn’t even share a word. So I just walked off. I’m just so grateful. Grateful is the best word.”

De Vries’s weekend was almost as good as it gets. In his first-ever qualifying he outpaced his team-mate with two and a half years of experience within Williams. And in his first race he held on for two points, with Williams having scored only four in 2022 before Monza.

PLUS: The plug in and play stand-ins who got their timing just right [LINK to Gary's Boxing Day piece]

But the euphoria passed quickly. His stock had grown and in the week after the Italian GP he had to put sentiment aside and consider how to make best use of that performance in the service of his career. After a Monday dinner with Max Verstappen, a friend since their karting days, de Vries made a speculative call to Dr Helmut Marko – and a few days later he was a guest of the Red Bull motorsport advisor in Graz.

Appetite comes with eating. The dream-come-true factor of a first grand prix start quickly made way for determination to ensure a permanent place on the grid.

Taking Verstappen's advice led to de Vries landing a spot at AlphaTauri for 2023

Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

“Maybe before that moment, I would have hoped and believed that it’s [taking part in an F1 race] kind of a dream being fulfilled, which is definitely the case,” says de Vries. “However, that feeling disappears very quickly. Of course, I was kind of living on cloud nine, basically from after the race until quite some time after the weekend. But I switched back to reality pretty quickly.

“I guess I was already thinking about the next [step], because after such a weekend you also... it’s like anything in life, once you get the taste of something good once you just want to have it all the time. And I think I very consciously switched my focus to try and utilise this, to materialise something, if that makes sense.

“It’s like with that first rookie test. You live for this moment all the time. Thinking, ‘Ah, it would be just so nice to get to experience this.’ And the same counts for racing in a GP. But then, when you’ve lived it and you did it and it went well, I guess my natural instinct was to look ahead and utilise it in order to make the next step.”

It took him a while to reach F1. When next season starts he will already be 28, which by modern standards is a lot. Verstappen was a grand prix winner in his teens.

“Never give up” may be an oft-overused phrase – but you can hardly find a better testament to the mantra than this Dutchman’s journey to the fulfilment of his F1 dream.

After a whirlwind 2022, what can de Vries deliver next year as a full-time F1 driver?

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images