Nyck de Vries at the dawn of a new challenge at Toyota: “The return to the WEC is very special”

Nyck de Vries is a jack of all trades: if his last months have been eventful, after a failed experience in Formula 1 with Alpha Tauri, the Dutchman was able to land on his feet and take on new challenges in two world championships. Engaged in Formula E with Mahindra, the 29-year-old driver also finds theEndurance and WEC this season. The native of Sneek is no stranger to the championship since he rode with Racing Team Nederland between 2018 and 2020, in the LM P2 category, and competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times (4th in class in 2022, with TDS Racing – Vaillante).

However, Nyck de Vries is moving to the next level in 2024 and will discover the premier category of Endurance this season: Hypercar, with the multiple reigning champion team, Toyota. The Batavian replaces José Maria Lopez in the No. 010 Toyota GR7, alongside Mike conway et Kamui Kobayashi. “Coming back to the WEC is very special and I'm honestly very happy to be here at Toyota Gazoo Racing and I'm really enjoying what I'm doing so far”, said the Dutch pilot.

Nyck De Vries feels comfortable at Toyota

The 2021 Formula E world champion is also no stranger to the Toyota environment, having been a reserve driver for the Japanese team from 2020 to 2022. Nyck de Vries specifies that he has the print of “been part of the team and the environment for a long time”. “I remember seeing Kamui in F1 and Mike in IndyCar. In fact, my sister was a big fan of Kamui, she even had a T-shirt with his image! It's nice to hear their knowledge, their racing stories and all their experience, he adds. It's strange to think that I'm the youngest on the team, everyone has wives and kids, and it's cool to learn about their lives outside of racing. »

At the dawn of the 2024 WEC Prologue, the short-lived Formula 1 driver is relishing his return to a discipline he loves and says he is ready to fight for the title with Toyota. “I think the beauty of endurance racing is the team spirit and dynamic, which is even more important. We are well aware of the increased competitiveness and growing competition, and we accept it because it is what we love. »

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