French Grand Prix 2022: Lewis Hamilton to sit out first practice with Nyck de Vries set for Mercedes drive

The seven-time world champion has elected to skip FP1 at Le Castellet with the team required to give at least two sessions to their rookie driver during the course of the season.

Mercedes have allowed their drivers to pick the race at which they give up a session, with Hamilton opting to miss the opening laps of the Paul Ricard Circuit.

George Russell, his team-mate, will give up a session later in the season.

De Vries won the 2019 Formula 2 Championship, and last year became the 2020-21 Formula E world champion.

The 27-year-old Dutchman has been a reserve and test driver at Mercedes since the start of 2021.

He made his Formula 1 practice debut at the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this season, taking Alex Albon’s place at Williams in FP1.

After a slow start to the season while battling significant performance problems, Mercedes have shown better race speed of late.

Hamilton has finished third in three consecutive races, followed home at the last race in Austria by Russell.

“We scored three podiums in the first seven races, and we have now achieved four in the last four,” the Mercedes team principal said. “I’m pleased with the momentum we are building, and it reflects the mammoth effort of the team.

“Our understanding of the W13 is growing with every lap and it’s encouraging to see that reflected in our development and results.

“While we were quicker in Austria, we still weren’t quick enough to challenge at the front. We need to keep chasing those final few tenths and bringing new developments to the cars, including this weekend in France.

“Paul Ricard is a very different track and challenge. It has smooth tarmac and a wide range of corner types, along with long straights. The aim will be to make further inroads on the gap to the front and hopefully be back on the podium.

“Nyck is replacing Lewis in first practice this weekend, as part of the allocated sessions for young drivers this year. So, we’re looking forward to seeing how he gets on.”

Hamilton finished second at the Paul Ricard Circuit last year behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.