De Vries: "If I give my best, there will be new opportunities"

Even before the world championship success of Max Verstappen in the final round in Abu Dhabi, the Netherlands had already rejoiced for another world triumph of its own representative in motorsport, this time in Formula E: Nyck De Vries. The Mercedes driver, who became champion for the first time in the electric series, had thus hoped to be able to make the leap in quality in Formula 1 in the role of official driver, ‘breaking free’ from the use of third guide of the same German team in the top flight.

Instead, with the official status of Guanyu Zhou at Alfa Romeo and Alex Albon in Williams, who stole from De Vries the only eligible candidates for the 2022, the Dutchman will continue his career in the category dedicated to electric single-seaters, where he will aim to defend the title he has just won before the withdrawal of the Mercedes scheduled for the 2022-2023 season. More than a real disappointment, for the 26-year-old it is an extra opportunity not only to be able to confirm himself in Formula E, but also to be able to take further opportunities to land in the Circus: “My goal is to keep racing – said De Vries in an interview reported by f1-insider.com – I am a very realistic person, who focuses on the present. I have had a lot of experience and sometimes things can change quickly. Now I can’t wait to start the new championship, in which we will compete to defend the title. I am sure that if I continue to give my best, new opportunities will arise“.

The Dutchman is therefore ready to hit the track for the season 2021-2022, which will present regulatory changes: among these, a direct elimination qualification format and the increase in engine power from 200 to 220 kW. In this regard, the defending champion expressed his opinion on both changes: “The new format looks very promising – he has declared – and appears more balanced for everyone. I agree with this change, because Formula E is already fought enough, and it doesn’t need external unpredictability to make it more exciting. As for the engines, these will put the rear tires to a greater test, and management of the latter will therefore become important ”.