Since 2020, the Dutchman has been part of the reigning champion team, first as an official test and reserve driver, then returning to the ranks after his foray into F1, this time for a full season in the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid, alongside Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Conway.
In the 6 Hours of Imola he won his first race and the contract that was only for the 2024 season would have been renewed also for 2025, according to information collected by Motorsport.com.
In an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com, team principal Rob Leupen did not confirm the news, but made it clear that continuity is important to the team.
“A season is very short. You have to give someone more than one year to prove himself,” Leupen said, expressing satisfaction with the boy.
“Nyck already knew us. He had already gained experience and we have a stable situation within the team. So for him it was a sort of return, but to really start racing.”
“Above all, he’s a very fast guy. We saw a very good lap from Nyck in qualifying in Qatar, his first race. Then we had a lot of problems with the car, because we were weighed down by the Balance of Performance.”
“He couldn’t do anything about it, but then he showed that he’s in good shape. I think he’s a really good and fast driver. He takes risks and works well in a team. I think his personality also plays a good role in that. For me, he’s technically good. It’s not just one thing, but several things that he brings with him.”
On the Imola circuit, De Vries, together with Conway and Kobayashi, managed to beat Ferrari in treacherous conditions.
“He did it very well, working very well with the team, engineers and mechanics. So he is an open and young guy, and I think our collaboration is good.”
Before the 24 Hours of Le Mans, De Vries seemed rather nervous, Leupen observes.
“He was a bit nervous and not paying much attention, of course it was a difficult situation because he was also driving against a Lexus,” he admits, referring to the warm-up accident, a few hours before the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“It wasn’t a very smart move, especially before the race, because there are a lot of heated situations. He was probably also a little too confident.”
“Maybe that’s the point he still has to learn and that you also have to learn to work with him. Maybe he was a little too sure of himself at the time. Or maybe he wasn’t paying attention. Then it went quite well, but it’s something he has to be more careful about, he has to be a little more vigilant. He realized it even then, that it would have been a good thing.”
Nyck de Vries alongside Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi as they battle it out in Le Mans.
Photo by: Rainier Ehrhardt
Leupen admits that this 92nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans has not been easy for De Vries, partly due to the changeable weather conditions.
“It was a tough race. It’s the first time and it’s raining, you start 23rd because Kamui was disqualified for causing a red flag. So yes, there was a lot of pressure on the team, but in the end Nyck and his teammates did very well. They finished second, unfortunately not higher.”
In the closing stages, Toyota looked to have a chance of winning due to a pit stop by Ferrari. The timing of this intervention created tension, as Nicklas Nielsen had to conserve energy to reach the finish line. Meanwhile, José María López was busy in the #7 Toyota, but spun at the Dunlop chicane. López was replacing Conway, who was unable to compete due to a cycling accident.
“He did a perfect job. He drove the last stints under pressure and made some small mistakes, but also the weather conditions were difficult. Then he started chasing, you take risks and things can go wrong.”
“That’s when you see that there’s a Nyck in the team who keeps calm and reacts well, gets along with people, speaks his language, which is obviously important, but that’s what you can expect from a driver today. At the moment we’re very happy with Nyck and I hope we’ll have a lot of fun with him.”
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