Formula E champion Nyck De Vries will replace Lewis Hamilton in FP1 at this weekend’s French Grand Prix, Mercedes has confirmed.
This year, all teams are obliged to run drivers with no more than two races of Formula 1 experience in at least two Practice 1 sessions during the season.
De Vries has already made one appearance for Williams in Barcelona back in May, and now has a second opportunity, this time in the W13, at Paul Ricard.
“It’s always very interesting to get the opportunity to see inside or behind the scenes of any organisation and particularly a Formula 1 team,” the Dutchman commented.
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“It’s interesting to learn and see where people are putting their emphasis and how they are building to a weekend and how they are preparing.
“I think as a racing driver, you learn from all different things you do – driving different cars, being part of different teams and organisations and manufacturers. Every little piece is ultimately making you a more complete racing driver.”
As mentioned, De Vries will be taking Lewis Hamilton’s seat for his FP1 outing. This weekend marks a big milestone for the seven-time world champion, who becomes just the sixth driver to reach 300 Grand Prix starts.
But he’ll have to wait until FP2 also on Friday before stepping into his Silver Arrow.
