ART return “very familiar” for De Vries

The diary of Nyck de Vries is the archetypal model of the demanding schedule of the modern driver. One which takes them across the world on such a regular basis that their own house becomes a home away from home, because they’re so scarcely there.

The Dutchman comes across as a family man, a level-headed and mature 24-year-old whose ability on the track has led to a career very few could even fantasize about. De Vries may be living his dream, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t allowed to relish time back in his home country.

“From Baku onwards, I am doing 10 weeks straight and until Budapest, I am only actually home for two weekends,” revealed the Dutchman. That’s just two from 15. “I am doing WEC (World Endurance Championship) as well and outside of that I have other racing commitments too and simulator work.

“When I get time at home, I just really enjoy being home in itself. It sounds very simple, but I love being there and seeing my family, having dinner with my grandfathers, seeing my friends and going to my local gym. Just doing normal things which other people our age do.”

Spending so much time away from home, it is important that your team becomes a family as well. People you can trust and confide in, people who know and understand you. It is for this reason that De Vries’ return to ART takes on another meaning.

“They’re a very good team with a great track record and a lot of history and it is always nice to be racing for a team who are competing at the front. Throughout my transition from karting to cars, I have always been kind of linked to ART, so I’m really glad to come back to them. It almost felt like coming back to a family, because I already knew everyone and they knew me and my way of working - it all felt very familiar.”

The Dutchman was the stand-out racer in pre-season testing with ART and it appeared as though his return to the side would pay dividends sooner rather than later. The start of the season proved holy unpredictable though and De Vries’ rivals had raised their games.

He would have to wait until the Spanish Sprint Race to grasp his first win of the new campaign, but it is one which appears to have sparked the 24-year-old’s season, having enjoyed further success in Monaco. “Pre-season was very early days,” he assessed. “It doesn't mean much, as you will have seen. Obviously pure pace looked good and is quite good.”

His pathway to becoming a Championship contender has ran in tandem with the growth of the FIA Formula 2 Championship. Signed by Rapax, ahead of the inaugural F2 season in 2017, De Vries was no unknown rookie. He was the incumbent of two single-seater titles in a trophy laden young career that was always heading in this direction.

So prolific has been his early success, it would be a struggle to pinpoint a singular standout achievement. For De Vries, he prefers to recall the greater journey, detailing numerous memorable moments, all of which led to this point.

“My [first] win in Monaco in 2017 is obviously one, when we won the sprint race. The victory last year at Spa was very nice because it is kind of a home race and all of my friends and family were there so it was nice to share that moment with them.

“There are a lot of moments from earlier in my career as well. My very first win in cars in Formula Renault, which was actually in the Netherlands. There is winning the European Championship in Karting too - I don’t have one particular moment, but a lot of memories from racing. That is what we all like most and I am just happy to be here and be doing what I like best.”

For all of those successes and for all of his experience at this level, there remains that relatable human element to De Vries, who still suffers from the inevitable nerves that come with such high octane competition. He continues: “Always, I am always nervous. I think that is very normal and natural, because I am here to do well and I want to do well. My desire to perform is high, so I feel a responsibility.

“From the moments you start your engines and the mechanics walk away, you have to do everything step by step. They all sound simple, but in those stressful moments, it is easy to do something wrong.”

The Dutchman is doing little wrong at the moment and if he can string together a consistent run of results, then he could just be the greatest threat to Nicholas Latifi’s early season dominance.