"I think it's so richly deserved" - McLaren Formula E team principal backs Nyck de Vries to succeed in Formula 1

McLaren Formula E team principal Ian James has praised Nyck de Vries for securing a place on the Formula 1 grid for the 2023 season.

The Dutchman, who worked under James when he was the Mercedes FE boss during his championship-winning 2020-21 season, has replaced Pierre Gasly at AlphaTauri for the 2023 D1 season after the Frenchman moved to Alpine.

James complimented the 27-year-old for securing an F1 seat and said that his work ethic will benefit AlphaTauri. In an interview with Autosport, he was quoted as saying:

"I think it's so richly deserved. He was somebody that we took a look at before coming in for Season 6 and recognised his qualities, not only as a driver, but as a team player."

James also highlighted how de Vries actively involves himself with any team he drives for and is very diplomatic in his approach too. He said:

"Any team that he drives for is going to benefit from that approach. He has a way of saying what needs to be said, pointing out where improvements can be made, but doing it in a diplomatic fashion that doesn't get people's backs up."

Such qualities, along with huge potential, will make Nyck de Vries stand out next season, according to James. He stated:

"And that's quite an important quality in a driver, and especially as a driver that's going into a team which maybe hasn't quite realised its full potential yet and has room to grow."

Nyck de Vries caught the attention of all the F1 teams when he substituted for Alex Albon at the 2022 F1 Italian GP and managed to finish P9, pushing a slow Williams car to its limits and outperforming teammate Nicholas Latifi. His performance earned him a shot at F1 with Red Bull, who decided to give the vacant seat at AlphaTauri to the Dutchman.

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Nyck de Vries's promotion to F1 showcases Formula E talent pool, believes Ian James

Ian James also spoke about the vast talent pool available in Formula E, a tier in racing that is generally looked down upon. The promotion of a Formula E driver to Formula 1 is a major achievement according to the Briton, who is excited to see how Nyck de Vries performs in his first full season.

James, who started his professional career with McLaren Automotive as a Manufacturing Engineer, also talked about how the engineers and mechanics of FE were no less than those in F1. He said:

I'm really looking forward to seeing him get his teeth into his inaugural season and see how he gets on. I think it's a huge success story for Formula E as well. We've always been confident in the fact that we've got the talent here, be it the drivers, the engineers, that commercial staff and mechanics, that they could quite easily move between different series, whether that be Formula 1, or Formula E, or WEC or whatever it is. And this is further proof that the quality of the talent within this paddock is worthy of anything else out there."

With the 2023 set to Nyck de Vries's first full season in F1, it will be exciting to see how he performs against his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who is also a rookie in the sport.