Nyck de Vries to take Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin seat for Monza FP1
Aston Martin have announced they will have Mercedes reserve driver Nyck de Vries taking part in FP1 at the Italian Grand Prix.
De Vries has already made two FP1 outings this season having stood in for Williams’ Alex Albon at the Spanish Grand Prix and then Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton at the French Grand Prix.
The 27-year-old Dutchman will be taking the place of Sebastian Vettel and the team said he has already undertaken extensive simulator work at their Silverstone base in preparation.
New F1 regulations for 2022 stated each team must run a driver who has two or fewer grands prix under their belt during two free practice sessions. De Vries’ appearance in the Aston Martin will be the first time the team have given a place to a rookie, with Lance Stroll set to sit out at a later date.
De Vries is one of many drivers looking for a way into Formula 1 having won the 2019 Formula 2 Championship and the 2020-21 Formula E Championship.
Speaking about his opportunity, he said he wanted to bring a fresh perspective to the team and run a programme that will be beneficial to both parties.
“I’m really looking forward to driving for AMF1, particularly at such a legendary circuit as Monza,” he said. “It will be my third FP1 session of the season and in the third different Formula 1 chassis, and these opportunities have given me a fantastic insight into how Formula 1 cars and teams function and operate.
“I hope I can bring a fresh perspective to the AMF1 team and can undertake a run programme that proves beneficial to us both.”
NEWS: We are pleased to announce that @nyckdevries will drive the AMR22 during FP1 for the #ItalianGP at @Autodromo_Monza.
The 2020/2021 @FIAFormulaE World Champion will drive alongside @lance_stroll, having already undertaken extensive simulator work at AMF1 HQ.
Read more. ⬇️
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) September 6, 2022
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack said De Vries’ achievements in other series show he deserves a shot at F1.
“We are delighted to welcome Nyck to our team and we look forward to working with him at Monza,” the 50-year-old said. “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 2020-21.
“We are looking forward to gaining his perspectives and insights about our car. His achievements show he clearly deserves a shot at Formula 1 – and hopefully this opportunity to get behind the wheel of the AMR22 will allow him to showcase his abilities to the wider world.”
Other rookies to have already taken part in an FP1 session are Juri Vips, who drove for Red Bull at the Spanish Grand Prix, and Liam Lawson, who was behind the AlphaTauri wheel at Spa. Logan Sargeant will drive for Williams at the United States Grand Prix.
