F1 - McLaren signs 14-year old Nyck de Vries

Bram Hengeveld · Jan 22, 2010

McLaren has signed Dutch kart racer Nyck de Vries to its young driver development programme. The 14-year-old will be managed by Anthony Hamilton and the Hamilton Management Group, who firmly believe in Nyck's status as an up-and-coming junior racer.
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Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team principal Martin Whitmarsh said: "McLaren has a long-held commitment to assisting young talent - we believe it's part of the responsibility of the motor racing community to encourage and nurture junior racers, and we are committed to doing just that.

"Nyck appears to be a very exciting prospect, and we are looking forward to assisting his junior career, providing him with the support and training he requires to succeed."
Anthony Hamilton said: "Nyck is an extremely promising youngster. His father Hendrik has been fantastically supportive of Nyck's career, and has been instrumental in raising him up to not just be a great young racing driver, but also a fine young man.

"Together, we both believe that, with the right level of support, we can take his career to the highest level. We'll be working very closely with Dino Chiesa, who will be running Nyck in Italy this year. Dino is an old friend, who previously ran Lewis and Nico [Rosberg] in Team MBM, so he knows everything about nurturing and developing young talent.
"We believe this is a very exciting and dynamic partnership."

Nyck added: "My visit to the McLaren Technology Centre has been a fantastic experience and I am very honoured and grateful for the support of McLaren in helping to develop my career. The resources they have are incredible, and I believe they'll be able to provide me with the perfect framework for improving my skills, my fitness and my motorsport experience."

McLaren will issue further details on its full young driver programme next month.

Source | McLaren

David Zafiu · Jan 22, 2010

What a news.Unbeliveble,this kid will drive a F1 monopost in his training.....great

. Bravo!

Bram Hengeveld · Jan 22, 2010

I find it strange that kids of this age are being contracted for money putting him under a lot of pressure, including the whole media circus. Maybe the FIA should follow the FIFA (football) in this and don't allow contracts with kids under 16 years of age.

Where does it stop?

Michael Herrmann · Jan 22, 2010

Bram i can only agree with you 14 is way to young for the media circus now coming towards him
anyway i wish him all the best

Jack Vos · Jan 22, 2010

Wauw what a news!!

This kid is very good! seen him race a lot when he still raced in NL
and with Max Verstappen also doing it very good already, we have some great Dutch young race talents coming.

And there are many other good Dutch karters (boy's and girls) out there that climbing up from karting to
racing cars

here a clip of "Flying Nick" on kartcircuit Genk in Belgium

little FYI: Even Malcom (Frankie Muniz) from "Malcom in the middle" raced cars in 2006- 2008
http://www.frankiemunizracing.com/profile.php

Eurico Marques · Jan 23, 2010

sorry guys but i can do that has well np HEHE and im not driving for MCL LOL

Resi Respati · Jan 23, 2010

He's younger than me :O

Austin Jordan · Jan 23, 2010

Ah geez. I know someone better than that kid... and hes my mentor. Kid probably asked for the job and his reputation was good enough to race for him. He'll get fired soon. I don't see him winning world championships. Should of hired the japanese guy that won the world finals. My mentor finished 15 in the world. Just watch. Me and my mentor will get in a f1 soon if he can race with mclaren. Just for all you american karters, my mentor is Nick Neri.

Eduard · Jan 23, 2010

@ Bram Hengeveld
I think this is a great uppertunity for this kid, and i think you should start urly with training and education to bring good racers to the world ,ok he's young and getting media attention but that's now over a couple of weeks knowone remember this kid and he is training and racing for the future it's only that hamilton became f1 driver that we know he was part of Macl. education program
(sry for my english i hope it's readable)

Eckhart von Glan · Jan 23, 2010

Bram Hengeveld;474057 said:
I find it strange that kids of this age are being contracted for money putting him under a lot of pressure, including the whole media circus. Maybe the FIA should follow the FIFA (football) in this and don't allow contracts with kids under 16 years of age.
Where does it stop?

I am all with you, Bram, this is sick. I am teaching 14 year olds every day at school and none of them I would find mentally equipped to handle the pressure this guy will be under. It's ambitious fathers, the likes of which we have seen ruin many young lives in tennis and other sports before. Government and sports regulations should protect these innocents.

Austin Jordan · Jan 23, 2010

What gets me a little mad is geez is only a european champion. I mean should should Nick Neri being a us champion get a deal with mercedes. Just being a champion in the area just doesnt cut it. You also got to be a factor in the world. F1 doesnt just have the best europes best drivers, it has top drivers in the world. If they wanna scout drivers in karting, They should get ones that are a factor for the win at the grand finals or else they might as well make a f1 league just for us drivers or a league just for asian drivers. I don't try to get in f1 by going to europe and race there.