De Vries, defending Formula E champion, was able to take advantage of an IndyCar driver evaluation day at Sebring last December, with Meyer Shank slotting him into a car for a day-long test at Sebring.
De Vries emerged fastest, ahead of Callum Ilott in the Juncos Hollinger-Chevrolet, Stoffel Vandoorne in the Arrow McLaren SP-Chevy, and Jack Aitken in the Ed Carpenter Racing-Chevy.
At the time, team founder and co-owner Michael Shank told Motorsport.com: “He was very impressive. His feedback was very, very good – you can tell he’s been around really professional organizations for the last four or five years – and he’s sure of himself and he understands the terminology we use, and he just gets on with it.”
Looking back on the test today, De Vries told Motorsport.com: “Meyer Shank were great guys. It's a very different form of racing in the U.S.. I would say it's mostly comparable to Formula 2 almost, given the fact that everyone has the same car. Obviously, there are different engine manufacturers.
“I would probably compare it to Formula 2 in the sense that the basics of the equipment is the same. And then it's up to the teams to make the differences and obviously the car's a bit quicker.
“But also from a feeling point of view, I felt quite quickly at home, I will admit it was very physical. And then the Americans, you know, they love show and they love racing, and it's very pure, which is refreshing sometimes.
“At the same time, I also love the professionalism, the technicality and kind of sophisticated elements of Formula 1, Hypercars and Formula E because all of them have their own challenges. So it was a great experience and it's definitely something that I take with me.
“That was the main purpose for me to go there to see what it's like to get a feel for the environment and really kind of get to understand whether it can be a considerable option for my future. And I think it is, but at the moment I'm in Europe in Formula E [with Mercedes] and part of Toyota [WEC] as well.
“So I'll have to see how the next months are developing and then at some point, I guess I'll get to know what my future would look like, at least in the mid-term.”
