De Vries expects to be “thrown in the deep” in F1 practice debut

Reigning Formula E champion de Vries, part of Mercedes’ F1 reserve roster in addition to his duties with the German manufacturer’s FE squad, has earned a call-up to drive in FP1 at Barcelona – his first outing in an official F1 session.

This was helped in part due to new rules mandating teams to run rookie drivers in at least two free practice sessions. 

De Vries, who was a long-time member of McLaren’s junior programme before leaving in 2019, was a contender for the…