Conway Expects De Vries to Settle in Quickly at Toyota

Mike Conway believes Nyck de Vries will get up to speed quickly at Toyota in the FIA World Endurance Championship this year owing to his previous experience with the team.

De Vries was revealed in November as Jose Maria Lopez’s replacement in the Japanese manufacturer’s Hypercar lineup for 2024, with the Dutchman set to partner Conway and Kamui Kobayashi in the No. 7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid.

Lopez will instead race for the Toyota-backed Akkodis ASP team in the LMGT3 class at the wheel of a Lexus RC F GT3 this year.

The move marks a homecoming for de Vries, who served as Toyota’s reserve driver from mid-2020 until 2022 before getting the chance to race in Formula 1 for AlphaTauri in 2023.

De Vries drove the GR010 Hybrid in a post-season test at Qatar last season and has gained further miles in winter testing last month at Motorland Aragon and Paul Ricard.

Conway believes that de Vries’ familiarity with Toyota means there should be no concerns about him getting up to speed heading into the season opener in Qatar next month.

“Nyck is a solid driver, he’s fast,” Conway told Sportscar365. “I think it’s just a case of him gelling with everyone, which he already did when he was with us a couple of years ago. 

“It’s not like we don’t know him. We know his qualities and what he brings to the team. 

“It’s obviously sad that Jose isn’t in the car, but he is still in the family with the LMGT3 program. And it will be an interesting dynamic with Nyck. He’s nice and light as well, so maybe he can be our little secret weapon!”

Conway admitted the news of de Vries joining Toyota didn’t come as a total surprise following the 28-year-old losing his seat in F1 mid-season.

“You hear rumors around the place, and then we knew that Nyck wouldn’t be in F1 anymore and the rumors were getting stronger before we eventually found out,” Conway said.

“It’s about circumstances, timing… it was also right around the window when we tend to negotiate these things, so it’s just one of those things.”

Brendon Hartley, who continues to share the No. 8 Toyota with Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa in 2024, added that he was sad to lose Lopez from the marque’s Hypercar stable.

“Jose has been a huge part of the team for so long,” said Hartley. “He’s a great character and a good friend of mine. We became this nice tightly-knit family these past years. I think I can speak for everyone when I say we’ll miss him being part of the team. 

“But he’ll still be in the paddock, and he’s still part of the family in the Lexus, just we’ll have to flash the lights at him a bit more often!”

Hartley added that he felt there was no grounds to replace Lopez based on performance alone, echoing remarks made by team principal Kobayashi last year.

“Jose was always one of the fastest in the whole field,” the New Zealander said. “The six of us were closely matched, and it depended on the day who was fastest. Sometimes it was me, sometimes somebody else. 

“There was no weak link, honestly speaking.”