F1 News: Williams Looks Forward to Getting "Fresh Opinion" From De Vries on the FW44

Formula E Champion Nyck De Vries will participate in Free Practice 1 this weekend for Williams, in place of the team's sole points-finisher this year, Alex Albon.

Williams has expressed their excitement ahead of De Vries' Friday appearance, looking to further extract the potential within the FW44.

Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance:

"We are looking forward to having Nyck de Vries in the car for FP1 as it is always good to work with a new driver and get a fresh opinion on the car's strengths and weaknesses.

Nyck's experience and professionalism will be crucial on Friday as he will complete some of the key engineering tests in FP1 before he hands the car back to Alex for FP2."

This year, Nicholas Latifi has struggled with adapting to the FW44, showing unimpressive pace in both qualifying and race trim.

De Vries' practice run is by no means a direct threat to the Canadian's seat, but the Grove-based team will surely pay close attention to how De Vries performs.

The team can confirm that @nyckdevries will take part in FP1 on Friday, fulfilling one of the two mandated young driver sessions this season 👍
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) May 16, 2022

Williams is unlikely to focus exclusively on speed, however, as the Dutchman's feedback with regards to set-up will surely be of great interest to Williams.

Latifi has consistently referred to not understanding the FW44 and its characteristics, making the information De Vries can offer of great importance. Not just for optimising set-up for the Spanish GP but also to compare the feedback given between the Williams drivers.

While Latifi has little to gain from De Vries' practice run, the Canadian will hope to avoid any significant mistakes as rumours regarding his future in the team continue to circulate.

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