2019 Formula 2 Champion Nyck de Vries will get his first official run in a Formula 1 session in Barcelona this weekend with Williams.

The team has announced that the Dutch driver will be getting behind the wheel of the FW44 for FP1, hopping into Alex Albon’s seat.

The Mercedes reserve driver is being featured as part of the two young driver sessions F1 teams are required to run this season.

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

The 27-year-old dominated on his way to the F2 title with ART Grand Prix, bringing home 12 podiums in 11 rounds and beating current Williams driver Nicholas Latifi to the Drivers’ Championship.

Since then, he’s gone on to experience success in Formula E, winning the championship in 2021 and becoming the first Dutch driver to achieve a World Championship in single-seater motorsport.

Williams' Head of Vehicle Performance Dave Robson added: “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. 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.”