Sacked Red Bull driver returns as behind-the-scenes McLaren F1 role confirmed

Former Red Bull driver Nyck de Vries has returned to McLaren as a simulator driver, the team has confirmed to PlanetF1.com.

It comes after De Vries posted an image of himself helping the team’s preparations in the sim ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.

Former Red Bull driver Nyck de Vries joins McLaren in sim role

De Vries made a total of 11 F1 appearances across 2022/23, making his debut for the Williams team at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix.

The Dutchman’s ninth-place finish at Monza caught the eye of Red Bull, and was signed as Pierre Gasly’s replacement at the AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls) junior team for 2023.

De Vries struggled alongside Yuki Tsunoda in the first half of 2023, failing to score a point across the first 10 races before being dropped in place of Daniel Ricciardo.

Now 30, De Vries currently competes in Formula E – the all-electric series in which he was crowned champion in 2021 – alongside his World Endurance Championship commitments with Toyota.

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As reported at the time by PlanetF1.com, De Vries returned to the cockpit of an F1 car for the first time since his AlphaTauri exit by representing McLaren in a Pirelli tyre test at Paul Ricard last November.

He posted an image of himself to social media wearing a crash helmet in McLaren’s simulator at 2105 UK time on Friday, hours after the end of the day’s practice running in Singapore.

McLaren has confirmed to PlanetF1.com that De Vries has been working with the team as a simulator driver since the start of the F1 2025 season.

His role has seen him return to the team which supported his early rise through the motor racing ranks.

He initially joined McLaren’s junior scheme in 2010, carrying out simulator duties at one stage before cutting ties with the team at the end of 2018.

Zak Brown, the McLaren chief executive, commented at the time that the team agreed to part with De Vries to allow him to pursue opportunities elsewhere given the small likelihood of him graduating to an F1 seat with McLaren.

De Vries eventually joined Mercedes as the team’s official test and reserve driver in 2021, representing the Brackley team – as well as customer outfits Aston Martin and Williams – in a number of FP1 sessions across 2022 before his F1 debut with Williams at Monza.

Additional reporting by Mat Coch

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