Nyck de Vries thinks it’s “fantastic” that McLaren will be enter the World Endurance Championship’s top class next year, but did not give a firm answer when asked if he had had any discussions with the team.
De Vries joined Toyota’s Hypercar squad in 2024 and also remains active in Formula E with Mahindra.
In addition to his WEC and Formula E duties, the Dutchman also serves as a test and simulator driver for McLaren’s Formula 1 team. On Monday, the British team unveiled its new LMDh prototype for the 2027 season, the MCL-HY, following its shakedown in Italy.
De Vries emphasized that his roles at Toyota and McLaren are “completely separate” and that he is “very happy” at Toyota.
“Otherwise, I’m curious, as an outsider, to see how that project develops,” he told Motorsport.com Netherlands, referring to McLaren’s Hypercar programme.
“Of course, McLaren is a successful racing team and organization. For the WEC, it’s fantastic to have a brand like McLaren on board. I’m curious to see how they’ll do.”
When asked whether McLaren had nevertheless held talks with him about the possibility of joining that Hypercar project, De Vries replied: “I’ll keep that to myself.”
De Vries said he feels at home at Toyota and believes he can continue to build his career with the Japanese manufacturer for years to come.
“Definitely,” he said. “I’m very happy within the team. I’m very happy within the organisation. I’m really enjoying myself. I feel like we’ve gotten off to a good start this year. Toyota is, of course, one of the most successful teams of the past 10 years in this championship. So yes, I’m very happy with where I am.”
De Vries finished third at Imola.
Photo by: FIA WEC / DPPI
Looking ahead to Spa
At last month’s season opener in Imola, de Vries finished on the podium in third place alongside his Toyota team-mates Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi, while the sister #8 TR010 driven by Sebastien Buemi, Ryo Hirakawa and Brendon Hartley won the race.
But this weekend’s Belgian round offers a completely different challenge, with Spa-Francorchamps featuring faster corners and longer straights. De Vries, however, doesn’t want to venture too many predictions just yet, since testing has only taken place at Imola, and in his view, that is also a “completely different” circuit.
“Of course, we hope we’ve improved on some of our past shortcomings. We’re looking forward to seeing how this weekend plays out for us and how competitive we can be,” he said. “But in terms of expectations, I can’t say much, to be honest.
“We haven’t been here for a year, and Imola is a completely different track. During testing, you don’t really get the chance to measure yourself against the competition. So for us, it’s also partly uncharted territory.”
When asked about the car’s shortcomings, de Vries emphasises that they mainly involve minor refinements compared to last year’s GR010 Hybrid.
“Just like every F1 team, we have certain areas where we have room for improvement compared to the competition. But those are small details you work on; they aren’t fundamental changes,” said the 31-year-old Dutchman.
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