Nick De Vries, from F1 to Harvard (but not for long): “Toto Wolff recommended it to me”. Nick De Vries’ adventure in F1 did not go as hoped.

Marko’s harsh words
Recently, Helmut Marko, longtime Red Bull team consultant and head of young driver development, described the signing of Nyck De Vries by the then AlphaTauri as his “biggest mistake.” The Dutchman, who won the Formula 2 title in 2019 and became Formula E world champion in 2021, was signed by the Faenza-based team for the 2023 season after scoring points at the previous year’s Italian GP, where he replaced Alex Albon at Williams for the Monza race.

However, Nick De Vries’ adventure in F1 did not go as hoped, and Red Bull’s management dropped him after just 10 races. Now, the former Mercedes junior has returned to competing—achieving good results—in categories more suited to him: WEC with Toyota’s factory team and Formula E with Mahindra Racing. In a recent episode of the podcast *Cool Room*, Nick De Vries also shared another experience—not so common for a professional driver—that he had for a few months in 2023, right after being dropped by AlphaTauri. The 1995-born driver from Uitwellingerga attended a university course in negotiation and leadership at Harvard, following Toto Wolff’s advice.

Harvard student
It was a short-lived experience, as Nick De Vries’ break from racing was—luckily for him—shorter than expected, but it was still an interesting one for the Dutchman. “I did an executive program at Harvard; it wasn’t anything special, also because I didn’t have much time to do it, even though I wasn’t racing,” explained the former Mercedes reserve driver. “I was sorting out my future in Formula E and WEC. We started testing in September, so the break wasn’t particularly long.”

Nick De Vries lost his F1 seat in July, right after the 2023 British GP. “Toto advised me to do it,” he continued. “We had a coffee together, and many people I worked closely with had done this program. I had some free time, and I’ve always been curious about these topics. I regret not having had the time or opportunity to study and complete my education. I thought it was a good idea and a valuable experience, so that in the future, I might have the chance to get a degree that could help me.”