Ousted Red Bull Driver Teased For Formula 1 Return With Rival Team

Nyck de Vries, previously ousted from AlphaTauri, is being considered by McLaren for a reserve driver role after impressing in their testing program.

Nov 23, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Oracle Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen of The Netherlands (1) drives during the Las Vegas Grand Prix at the Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Nyck de Vries, who was ousted from the AlphaTauri (now VCARB) team in 2023, could be making a return to Formula 1.

De Vries recently participated in a Formula 1 test session with McLaren at the renowned Paul Ricard Circuit in France. This marked his first time back in an F1 car since leaving AlphaTauri, sparking speculation about his possible role as a reserve driver for McLaren.

The Dutch driver's racing record includes being a former champion in both Formula 2 and Formula E. His time in Formula 1 began in 2023 with AlphaTauri, but the experience was short-lived due to high expectations from the team and his inability to meet their performance benchmarks. This led to his replacement by Daniel Ricciardo after only 10 races of his rookie season.

McLaren, focusing on its driver lineup for the upcoming 2025 season, is exploring options for the reserve driver position. The main drivers for McLaren, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri, are secured for the near future with the former in contract until the end of 2027 and the latter the end of 2026. With recent shifts in McLaren's reserve team, such as Gabriel Bortoleto moving to Sauber and Ryo Hirakawa joining Alpine, de Vries is emerging as a key candidate for McLaren's now open reserve spot.

During the test session at Paul Ricard, de Vries went head-to-head with Ryo Hirakawa. The CEO of McLaren, Zak Brown, praised de Vries for his impressive performance, describing the session as part of the team's broader Testing and Performance Centre (TPC) program, aimed at evaluating potential drivers.

Speaking about the session, Brown previously explained, as quoted by GP Blog:

'It went very well. You know he obviously has a long history and he started his early career at McLaren. We are going through our TPC programme now, to evaluate a few drivers and Nyck is one of those drivers.''

Brown further elaborated on the nature of McLaren’s testing and evaluation process, detailing the roles and responsibilities that come with it. He added:

'That involves several things. Simulator drivers, test drivers, tyre tests. Unfortunately they won't let me do it, so we had to look elsewhere and Nyck is obviously a great talent. So we wanted to get reacquainted with him and he did well. So we'll see what happens.''

The role of reserve and simulator drivers has gained immense importance in recent times due to the limited opportunities for actual track testing. Experienced drivers like Nyck de Vries bring valuable insight and aid in significant setups during races, contributing to the performance optimization without using up on-track testing time.

As rumors swirl regarding de Vries' potential appointment as McLaren's reserve driver, the team remains tight-lipped. Nevertheless, Zak Brown hinted at a timeline for decision-making. When asked about when a decision would be made concerning de Vries, Brown responded:

"Probably at the end of the year [2024]."

2025 Formula One Season Schedule

Pre-Season Testing

• Dates: 26-28 Feb
• Location: Bahrain, Sakhir
• Event Name: FORMULA 1 ARAMCO PRE-SEASON TESTING 2025
• Circuit: Pre-Season Testing

Australia

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China

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• Event Name: FORMULA 1 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX 2025
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Miami

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Austria

• Dates: 27-29 Jun
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Abu Dhabi

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