Formula E driver Nyck de Vries will sport the number 45 for his maiden Formula 1 outing at the Spanish Grand Prix. The 27-year-old will be behind the wheel of Alex Albon's Williams FW44 during FP1 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Friday, offering him the chance to pit his talents directly against Nicholas Latifi and the rest of the F1 grid. He will be the first of many new drivers to be given a chance in 2022, with teams now required to offer at least two FP1 sessions per season to rookies.
De Vries' journey to F1 oppportunity
The 2019 Formula 2 Champion failed to graduate to F1 after clinching the title, and instead opted to race for Mercedes-EQ in Formula E. After a season spent finding his feet in the category, de Vries stormed to the World Championship title during the 2020-21 season, and is now in the process of defending his crown in 2021-22. De Vries still retains ties to the F1 paddock, though, thanks to his role as test and reserve driver at Mercedes.
45 will not be De Vries' race number
The number 45 that de Vries will carry in Barcelona is a standard choice for Williams, and is used for all test driver runs by the team, with the number previously sported by the outfit's test driver, Roy Nissany. This will not be de Vries' allocated Formula 1 race number, should he find himself thrust into a seat on the grid in the future.
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