Mercedes reserve driver Nyck de Vries is set to sub in for Sir Lewis Hamilton during FP1 at the French Grand Prix this weekend.
As part of the new regulations this season, every team on the grid is required to run a development driver in their car on at least two occasions in practice sessions.
This is part of the initiative to promote young drivers and make the future of Formula 1 more competitive.
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De Vries previously stepped in for Alex Albon at Williams in Barcelona, setting 28 laps as he went 18th fastest and quicker than Nicholas Latifi.
Robert Kubica deputised for Zhou Guanyu in that session, while Juri Vips, who is no longer Red Bull’s test and reserve to an incident of racism, stood in for Sergio Perez.
Head of vehicle performance at Williams, Dave Robson, was delighted with the 27-year-old’s morning of running in Barcelona.
“He has what he needs to be a top-quality competition driver,” he said.
“He is worthy of a place on the grid I think but so many people are. He took his opportunity well and he should be pleased and proud of what he did.”
The upcoming outing will be a welcome distraction for de Vries amid a Formula E title defence that has simply not gone his way.
Having won the season-opener in Diriyah, the Dutchman has added just one more to that tally in the 11 rounds since, and the victories in Saudi Arabia and Germany have also constituted his only podiums of the season.
Last weekend, he ended the two New York races eighth and seventh, while Mercedes EQ team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne managed fourth in the first race, before finishing second in round 12 in Brooklyn.
De Vries is eighth in the Drivers’ Championship, 72 points adrift of leader Vandoorne, while Mercedes lead Venturi by 10 points in the teams’ battle.