6 February 2015
Happy birthday to you, Nyck de Vries
Nyck de Vries, who won the 2014 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 title and will be driving for DAMS in the upcoming Formula Renault 3.5 Series season, turns 20 today.
After joining the McLaren Young Driver Programme at the age of 14, the Dutch driver went on to win the World Karting Championship in 2010 and 2011 before making his single-seater debut in Formula Renault 2.0 the following year.
Fifth overall in his maiden season, he won his first two races in the category in 2013 and then scored his title win, in reward for which he picked up a Renault Sport Technologies grant to help him make the switch to Formula Renault 3.5 Series with DAMS.
“Aside from Formula E, I’ve only ever driven in Formula Renault 2.0,” says Nyck. “It’s very exciting, then, for me to be making the move into Formula Renault 3.5. It’s a logical step forward in my career.”
The last four seasons have seen previous winners of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 title excel in Formula Renault 3.5 Series. In 2011 Kevin Korjus picked up three wins en route to sixth place in the final standings, while Robin Frijns also claimed a hat-trick of victories in securing the title a year later. Then, in 2013 and 2014, Stoffel Vandoorne and Pierre Gasly took respective second places, with Vandoorne racking up four wins in taking his runners-up slot.