Nyck de Vries will surprise fans with his debut in the Super Formula at the Motegi circuit later this month. This will be the first of two appearances he will make in the Japanese single-seater series. The former Formula 1 driver, who has raced for Williams and AlphaTauri, recently finished 18th in his first season back in Formula E with Mahindra. De Vries will be one of the few non-Japanese drivers to compete in the series this season, joining the ranks of Toyota-powered drivers such as Kamui Kobayashi, his partner in the World Endurance Championship. His second race will be at the Fuji double-header weekend in October.
De Vries will be driving the Impul entry with the number 7, the same car that was previously driven by Theo Pourchaire and Ben Barnicoat. Pourchaire moved to the McLaren IndyCar team, while Barnicoat took over for the second round at Autopolis in May. Hibiki Taira, the reigning Super Taikyu Series champion, has also raced this car at subsequent rounds. After Barnicoat’s one-off appearance, the Super Formula grid has been exclusively composed of domestic drivers, marking a significant change from previous years. It is believed that de Vries received the offer to race in Super Formula, possibly through an introduction from Kobayashi.
Team Impul, led by Japanese racing legend Kazuyoshi Hoshino, has had a challenging start to the season, with lead driver Yuji Kunimoto only earning seven points from the first four races. He currently trails the leader, Tomoko Nojiri from Honda-powered Team Mugen, by 40 points. Despite this, de Vries has long-term commitments with Toyota in the World Endurance Championship and with Mahindra in Formula E, extending at least until the end of 2025.
De Vries will be able to participate in the Fuji Super Formula double-header as it falls within a gap in the WEC schedule and before the start of Formula E’s pre-season. However, he will not be able to compete in the Super Formula finale at Suzuka in November due to the Valencia Formula E test, which runs until Friday, November 8. It is highly unlikely that de Vries will attempt a triple program, competing in Super Formula, WEC, and Formula E, due to the anticipated clashes in the upcoming season and the logistical challenges of traveling to the Far East.
Next year, the Super Formula schedule includes three clashes with the WEC and two with Formula E. A provisional schedule was recently released, revealing a clash between the third round at Autopolis and the second Tokyo E-Prix, which has now become a double-header in mid-May.
Photo from Nyck De Vries Instagram
