Money lender starts a lawsuit and demands 50 percent of Nyck de Vries’ salary: “We clearly disagree whether he was an F1 pilot in 2022”

Nyck de Vries will have to defend himself in court about a dispute with a lender. After all, it demands a considerable financial contribution after Nyck de Vries was allowed to race in an F1 car during the GP of Italy last year.

In 2018, Nyck de Vries would have signed an agreement with Jeroen Schothorst, a Dutch real estate millionaire. He lent Nyck de Vries an amount of 250,000 euros, an amount that Nyck de Vries needed at the time to complete his budget for the F2 season.

In return for the 250,000 euros, Jeroen Schothorst asked for an annual interest of 3 percent. In addition, Nyck de Vries would also donate 50 percent of his F1 income to Schothorst. According to the agreement, Nyck de Vries would not have to pay back the 250,000 euros at the end of 2022 if he did not have an F1 seat.

However, Nyck de Vries was allowed to fill in for Alex Albon during the GP of Italy and Jeroen Schothorst is now demanding what he thinks he is entitled to. However, Nyck de Vries believes that his role as a ‘test and reserve driver’ does not equate to ‘having an F1 seat’. Jeroen Schothorst clearly disagrees with this and is therefore going to court.

“Let me first say that I think it’s fantastic for Nyck that he has become successful as a Formula 1 driver and that two Dutch drivers will be at the start of the Dutch Grand Prix in August,” Schothorst told ‘De Telegraaf’.

“We invested in De Vries’ career at a crucial time and when no one else wanted to do that anymore. We now disagree about the interpretation of the agreement we entered into with each other at the time. Things like that happen and unfortunately we cannot avoid taking the matter to court.”

“We would have preferred to see it differently, but that does not alter the fact that as a motorsport fan I wish Nyck every possible success in the continuation of his career,” concludes Schothorst.

The trial is scheduled for February 3. It will be financially crucial for Nyck de Vries to win the lawsuit, otherwise he will have to hand over 50 percent of the income he earns at AlphaTauri.