De Vries gets Williams F1 practice outing in Barcelona

For 2022, all 10 F1 teams are required to run a ‘rookie’ driver in at least two FP1 sessions during the year.

Despite de Vries’ age and motorsport experience, he meets the criteria given that he’s never raced in F1 before.

The Dutchman is the reigning Formula E champion and was heavily linked with Williams for 2022 but lost out on the drive to Alex Albon.

Since then, de Vries has been rumoured to be in the frame to replace Nicholas Latifi given the latter’s difficult campaign so far.

De Vries will replace Albon in FP1 at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix giving him the perfect chance to impress Williams up against Latifi.

“We are looking forward to having Nyck de Vries in the car for FP1 as it is always good to work with a new driver and get a fresh opinion on the car’s strengths and weaknesses,” said Williams’ head of vehicle performance Dave Robson.

“Nyck’s experience and professionalism will be crucial on Friday as he will complete some of the key engineering tests in FP1 before he hands the car back to Alex for FP2.”

De Vries is currently Mercedes’ reserve driver but his future remains up in the air as the German manufacturer will leave Formula E at the end of this season.

“Firstly, I’d really like to thank Williams for the opportunity to run in FP1,” de Vries added.

“It’s great for me to get to know the team and drive the FW44, and also to get myself out on track during a Formula 1 weekend. Preparation for the test is going well so far and the team have been incredibly supportive of me. I’m very much looking forward to the whole experience in Spain now!”