Nyck de Vries has revealed his strong connection to Formula 3 youngster Laurens van Hoepen, who he has mentored for five years. Hoepen has quickly risen up the junior ladder and at 19 years old, is set to embark on his second season in F3 next year. The young Dutch driver who claimed a podium on his F3 debut will continue with ART Grand Prix, who he raced for last year. ART know van Hoepen well, having fielded him in FRECA during 2021 and 2022. Van Hoepen ended his debut F3 campaign with three podiums and 58 points, putting him eighth in the drivers' standings. To de Vries, van Hoepen is like his "little brother", with the two drivers working closer together now he has settled into F3. De Vries is involved with van Hoepen despite racing full-time for Mahindra in Formula E and Toyota in the World Endurance Championship. Mentoring van Hoepen is something de Vries finds very enjoyable, as it deepens his own involvement in motorsport. "We've been working together for like, five years," de Vries exclusively told RacingNews365 . "So it's nothing really new. "Obviously, he is in Formula 3, so now it's a bit more, let's say the interaction and the visibility is a bit higher, but it's something I very much enjoy. "It keeps me first of all, I just like to be involved in our sport, because it's where my passion is, and I like to contribute where I can. "And Laurens is a great driver, and a very nice teenager still, and we spend a lot of time together. So yeah, I'm really enjoying it. He's kind of like my little brother."
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