Current Formula E champion Nyck de Vries has said that he is excited for the opportunity of driving the Williams during Friday practice at the Spanish Grand Prix.

F1 heads back to Europe this weekend as the Circuit de Catalunya plays host to round six of the world championship, and the drivers will be eager to see just where their cars stack up compared to when we were last in Barcelona for winter testing before this season began.

It also provides an opportunity for teams to give other drivers a chance during Friday practice given how much data is already available to their contracted stars for the season, and that is what has given de Vries the opening to sit in Alex Albon's Williams for the first practice session on Friday.

The Formula E champion has been on the books of several Formula 1 teams over the years but has never been able to bag a full-time seat, despite being linked with many opportunities - including the one at Williams for this season on the back of George Russell leaving the team.

The Grove outfit went for Albon instead to partner Nicholas Latifi, however, and so instead de Vries will be looking to show what he can do at the start of the race weekend in Barcelona:

"I'm obviously very thankful and grateful for the opportunity to run in an FP1 session and kind of get to know the team, but also to kind of get myself out there during a Formula 1 weekend," said de Vries, as quoted by Motorsport.com.

"I haven't really thought about real targets; it's only a one-hour session, and you get like three runs on two different compounds, which are both on the extreme end of the spectrum.

IMOLA, ITALY - APRIL 23: Alexander Albon of Thailand driving the (23) Williams FW44 Mercedes on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on April 23, 2022 in Imola, Italy. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

"So it's going to be a very interesting, exciting challenge. But I'm looking forward to the experience, and hopefully I can do well."