Toyota Gazoo Racing Welcomes Nyck de Vries

Nyck de Vries has been appointed test and reserve driver for the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Endurance Championship (WEC) team for the remainder of the 2019-2020 campaign and the 2021 season.

De Vries, 25, made a very positive first impression on the team when he took part in the WEC rookie test in Bahrain last December, completing 43 laps in the TS050 Hybrid, displaying maturity, intelligence and team spirit.

He said: “I am really excited to join Toyota Gazoo Racing and work with the team again; it’s an honour to be selected as test and reserve driver so I would like to thank the team for this opportunity. Driving the TS050 Hybrid in Bahrain was a fantastic experience. At the time, I thought it could have been a one-off opportunity so it’s great to know I will be driving the car again, and even more exciting to look ahead to later this year when we start testing the new LMH car. I hope to contribute to a successful start to this new era for the team.”

The Dutchman has an impressive track record in motorsport, having been crowned FIA Formula 2 champion in 2019, while also establishing himself as a front-runner in WEC’s  LMP2 category with Racing Team Nederland and participating in Formula E with the Mercedes-Benz EQ team.

Along with his new team-mates, de Vries will return to the cockpit of the TS050 Hybrid this week at a test at the Paul Ricard circuit in the South of France, sampling the low-downforce aerodynamic package which the team will use at the Spa and Le Mans races.

In addition to track testing, de Vries’s new duties encompass simulator test sessions and reserve driver duties in WEC, and he will play a significant role in the development of Toyota’s new Le Mans Hypercar which will compete in the 2021 season.

De Vries replaces Thomas Laurent, who leaves Toyota Gazoo Racing with the team’s thanks and best wishes for the future.

Hisatake Murata, Toyota Gazoo Racing Team President, said: “I am pleased to welcome Nyck de Vries. The feedback following his rookie test in Bahrain was very positive so it’s clear that he has a lot of potential. Along with our Toyota Gazoo Racing WEC Challenge member Kenta Yamashita, we have two very promising young drivers developing their skills within our team which is exciting for the future. I look forward to seeing their progress, and at the same time I wish Thomas Laurent all the best for the future and thank him for his contribution this season.”

Nyck de Vries profile

Born                            6 February 1995, Sneek, Netherlands

Lives                           Monte Carlo (Monaco)

Height                          168cm
Weight                         60kg

Career history

2007

Belgian Karting Championships, KF3 class: 2^nd

Dutch Karting Championships, KF3 class: 2^nd

2008  

German Junior Karting Championship, KF3 class: 1^st 

WSK International Series, KF3 class: 1^st

2009   

European Karting Championship, KF3 class: 1st

German Junior Karting Championship, KF3 class: 1^st

WSK International Series, KF3 class: 1^st

2010    

World Karting Championship, KF2 class: 1^st 

McLaren Young Driver Programme

2011    

World Karting Championship, KF1 class: 1^st (9 wins)

WSK Euro Series, KF1 class: 1^st

2012 

Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup (R-ace GP): 5^th   

Formula Renault 2.0 NEC (R-ace GP): 10^th (1 win)

2013  

Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup (Koiranen GP): 5^th (2 wins)

Formula Renault 2.0 Alps (Koiranen GP): 8^th

2014   

Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup (Koiranen GP): 1^st (5 wins)

Formula Renault 2.0 Alps (Koiranen GP): 1^st (9 wins)

2015

Formula Renault 3.5 Series (DAMS): 3^rd (1 win)

2016

GP3 Series (ART Grand Prix): 6^th (2 wins)

2017

Formula 2 (Rapax / Racing Engineering): 7^th (1 win)

2018

Formula 2 (Prema Racing): 4^th (3 wins)

2018-2019

FIA World Endurance Championship (Racing Team Nederland): 9^th LMP2

2019

Formula 2 (ART Grand Prix): 1^st (4 wins)

Le Mans 24 Hours (Racing Team Nederland): 26^th

ENDS