Williams: 'De Vries has everything it takes to be a Formula 1 driver'

Williams is full of praise for the performance of Nyck de Vries for his performance in FP1 in Spain. Head of Vehicle Performance Dave Robson emphasizes that the former Formula 2 champion has everything it takes to be a "top quality driver".

De Vries has been active as a reserve driver for Mercedes since 2020 and got the chance to drive on behalf of Williams in the first practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix. Robson was impressed with the performance of the Dutchman, who completed 28 laps at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and finished practice in eighteenth place.

Williams thinks De Vries deserves F1 seat

In conversation with Formula1.com he therefore tells us that he thinks the 27-year-old driver from The Netherlands deserves a seat in Formula 1. "His pace was there. His ability to understand the tyre and do the out-lap correctly, was really impressive," says Robson.

He was also appreciative of his feedback after the session. "He had some very useful comments on the balance of the car, which agrees quite well with what we've heard from the two race drivers," he continued.

According to the Williams chief, the reigning Formula E champion therefore did very well, especially considering he was only in the car for an hour. "He clearly has what he needs to be to be an absolute top quality competition driver. Yeah, he's worthy of a place on the grid, I think, but so many people are," Robson added.