The F1 dilemma facing Mercedes' new world champion

The departure of Felipe Massa after his two underwhelming seasons at Venturi Racing, combined with the CVs of 2021 rookies Jake Dennis, Nick Cassidy and Norman Nato, has helped quash the allegation that Formula E is a payday for crestfallen ex-Formula 1 drivers.

But with the exceptional cameo of Pierre Gasly, who was drafted in to replace fixture-tied Sebastien Buemi at Renault e.dams in New York City in 2017, there’s yet to be a flow in the other direction. No bona fide FE driver has stepped up into a plum grand prix race seat.

There have been near misses. Aside from the host of current drivers who perform simulator roles at various F1 teams, Stoffel Vandoorne came close to replacing Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain last season, with the opportunity eventually falling to George Russell after the seven-time world champion tested positive for COVID. Jean-Eric Vergne reckoned he fielded calls about an F1 return after his brace of electric title wins, while Alexander Albon was extricated from a Nissan e.dams deal for 2018 when Helmut Marko picked up the phone.

But now there is the clearest chance yet for a FE driver to make the step up, with the series not wholly unlikely to lose its newly crowned first FIA world champion Nyck de Vries. This comes amid growing speculation that he will replace expected Mercedes signing Russell at Williams in 2022.

Mercedes FE team principal Ian James incidentally prophesied such a move when chatting to Autosport on the eve of pre-season testing in Valencia last November. The ever-cordial Marlow resident sincerely declared the electric series was now at a stage in its life where it was ready to prepare engineers and drivers to smoothly make the transition to F1.

Nyck de Vries, Mercedes-Benz EQ, Ian James, Team Principal, Mercedes-Benz EQ, on the championship podium

Photo by: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images

People commenting on the subsequent story made it out to be a flight of fantasy. Yet here we are, nine months on, and James runs the very real risk of losing his prized asset. However, it is open to debate whether de Vries has been an F1-grade driver because of his time in FE or was already at that level following his 2019 FIA F2 championship title.

PLUS: How de Vries claimed Formula E title glory as Mercedes exit bombshell looms

Speaking to Autosport last month, Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff said both de Vries and team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne possess “the talent, the work ethic and the intelligence to be in Formula 1. They both deserve to be in Formula 1, and I would very much hope they can find their way back.” Make no mistake, de Vries has read those kind words.

Now that Mercedes appears set to quit FE at the end of 2022, as reported by Autosport, de Vries faces increased stakes in his personal dilemma should a Williams contract land. He has won the electric title, and his future in the series is now increasingly uncertain. He might soon have to decide whether to walk away from the reigning champions to join the lower-to-middle part of the F1 grid, such is the lure of the top flight of motorsport.

"Ultimately, in order to continue to open up doors, open up opportunities and continue my career successfully, I need to perform on track. That's where my focus is" Nyck de Vries

De Vries, who first drove a mule FE car in the spring of 2014 through his connections with ART Grand Prix, hasn’t had his F1 shot. The ex-McLaren junior was overlooked after his three years at F2 level, with his eventual coronation in 2019 falling after a season in which Russell, Albon and Lando Norris all landed F1 drives.

While he doesn’t budge on the specifics of his own future, de Vries does acknowledge the kudos that either him or a colleague stepping into F1 might bring to FE. He says: “At the moment, it’s just the other way around that obviously happened a lot [with F1 drivers moving into FE]. But I think it shows the level of the competition, but it also shows that our motorsport world is acknowledging the competitiveness of the championship and really valuing and rating the quality which is in it both with the teams and drivers.

Nyck de Vries, Mercedes-Benz EQ, EQ Silver Arrow 02

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

“I think it would be a good sign if it happens. It's been great to hear that people talk about it. But apart from that, I'll wait and see what happens in the next couple of months and what my future will look like.”

In addition to the support from Wolff, de Vries is a good friend of team-mate Vandoorne. Splitting the role of Mercedes F1 reserve driver, de Vries has been attending more and more races. The driver duo have, in de Vries’ own words, a “great relationship”, live close by and travel to events together.

In that time in transit, Vandoorne will have told de Vries of the pain he experienced from his two turbulent seasons at McLaren alongside two-time champion Fernando Alonso. That is something de Vries must now consider. If the Williams move does come to fruition, F1 will gain a driver who has a balance between aggression and control, someone who has intellect to spare. He’s a near-complete package at FE level.

De Vries adds: "Ultimately, in order to continue to open up doors, open up opportunities and continue my career successfully, I need to perform on track. That's where my focus is. That's what I will be continuing to try and do. And then I'm sure that I will, one way or another, be driving a car.”

For a driver who gets the chance to scratch their F1 itch, the lure is enormous and something de Vries must weigh up amid the context of his FE success with Mercedes. Something that now might have a definite end point.

Champion Nyck de Vries, Mercedes-Benz EQ, EQ Silver Arrow 02, celebrates

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images