Nyck de Vries announces return to racing after F1 exit

The Dutchman was brutally axed from his F1 seat at AlphaTauri after just 10 races of the 2023 season

Nyck de Vries has announced his return to racing in Formula E with Mahindra Racing for the 2024 season.

The Dutchman has not raced since being brutally dropped from his Formula 1 race seat at AlphaTauri in July following just 10 races, with Daniel Ricciardo replacing him.

De Vries has since taken some time out from the racing spotlight but the 28-year-old – who was the Formula E champion with Mercedes-EQ in 2021 – has been announced as a Mahindra driver alongside Eduardo Mortara, describing his return to the all-electric racing series as like “coming home.”

“It’s really exciting to be joining such a major automotive manufacturer as Mahindra, and to represent them in Formula E,” De Vries said.

“I’m particularly excited about the future plans for the team. The basis is already strong, and the team has all the attributes to succeed. I believe going forwards we will be able to extract even more potential from the project and the organisation, so to be a part of that process was very appealing for me.

“Coming back to Formula E will feel like coming home. I’ve been part of the Formula E family for three seasons, I know everybody very well.

“I’m looking forward to being back in a familiar environment, and to be back somewhere where ultimately, I’ve always enjoyed my racing.”

Nyck de Vries will make his return to racing in Formula E next year (Getty Images)

De Vries, who also won Formula 2 in 2019, landed a seat on the F1 grid in 2023 after his impressive debut last year at the Italian Grand Prix.

He stood in for Alex Albon and finished ninth, securing two points for Williams, and was quickly snapped up by the Red Bull sister team to partner Yuki Tsunoda as a result.

However, De Vries endured a tumultuous start to the 2023 campaign, failing to score any points and quickly placed under pressure by Red Bull chief Helmut Marko.

Ricciardo, Red Bull’s third driver, then impressed in a tyre test at Silverstone and was announced as De Vries’ replacement at AlphaTauri following July’s British Grand Prix.

De Vries has since been at Harvard University, studying negotiation and leadership, but has now confirmed he will be back in Formula E next year. The 2023-24 season gets underway on January 13 in Mexico.