Nyck de Vries is being sued by a real estate tycoon
As he prepares to start his full-time career in F1, Nyck de Vries finds himself being pursued in court by Jeroen Schothorst, who invested in the Dutch driver during his journey through the junior formulas. The legal disputes date back to last year's Italian Grand Prix, where De Vries had replaced the ill Albon due to appendicitis.
The millionaire’s investment company, Investrand, has initiated an interim proceeding against Nyck de Vries. The Dutch driver is alleged to have breached the terms of an agreement when he borrowed the sum of 250,000 euros in 2018 from Jeroen Schothorst, while competing in F2, in order to finish his season.
An interest rate of 3% would have been agreed upon with the loan, as well as a repayment amount of up to 50% of the income De Vries would derive from his activities in Formula 1. If the driver fails to secure a full-time seat in Formula 1 by the end of 2022, the loan would be cancelled.
Last year, De Vries made a replacement at Williams, that of Alex Albon, who was suffering, during the Italian Grand Prix. In the points at the end of his first Formula 1 race, the agreement between the two parties mentioned the position of a test driver, but not that of a reserve. According to the AlphaTauri driver, this latter title is not comparable to that of a full-time Formula 1 driver, and therefore his debt is paid.
De Vries denies the allegations and claims to have provided all the necessary information. According to his lawyer, he would have repaid approximately 190,000 euros to Schothorst while he was a test driver at Mercedes. He adds that the AlphaTauri driver made an offer to repay the entire loan, in addition to the 190,000 euros already paid, an offer that was rejected by the benefactor.
« Everything indicates that Investrand does not support De Vries becoming a Formula 1 driver in 2023, and not in the final year of the agreement, the pilot’s attorney stated during the trial.
If Schothorst succeeds, he will have to receive half of the Dutch’s 2023 revenues. The Amsterdam court is expected to rule in early February.
