Former Formula 2 champion Nyck de Vries was left in awe of the Mercedes Formula 1 car after Tuesday’s young driver test in Abu Dhabi.
The Dutchman finished P2, a quarter of a second behind Fernando Alonso, is what was his first-ever outing in F1 machinery, having switched to Formula E with Mercedes after his 2019 F2 success.
And like many before him, De Vries was simply astonished by the performance of what was the benchmark car of this past season.
“Today was very special, making my Formula One debut,” he commented. “What an incredible car, it’s from a different planet really.
“You can brake so late and carry so much speed through the corners. It was a real pleasure to drive.
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“I’m really pleased with the progression I made throughout the day and the work we completed. I was quite surprised with how quickly I felt comfortable in the car and the team was very supportive, doing everything they could to make me feel as comfortable as possible.
“A massive thanks to Mercedes for this very unique and special opportunity because it was a great day in the car.”
Vandoorne, of course, missed out on the chance to race for Mercedes at the Sakhir Grand Prix, after George Russell was instead chosen to replace Lewis Hamilton following his positive Covid test.
And though his day was slightly curtailed by having to leave Abu Dhabi early, the Belgian was thrilled to finally get his chance behind the wheel.
“I had a lot of fun out there today in the W11,” said the former McLaren driver. “I managed to complete plenty of laps with both some short and longer runs.
“It was a pretty smooth day and I was quickest in the morning session as well.
“I want to say a massive thank you to the team for giving me this opportunity because the chance to drive a Championship-winning F1 car doesn’t come around very often and is very unique.
“It was a real privilege to drive W11 and a really great day. I had to cut the afternoon a little short because I had to leave to the airport for a PR commitment, but nonetheless, I’m really happy with the day we’ve had in the car and the opportunity to end the year driving W11.”