Naomi Hesseling in the Paddock: Rare Photos and Moments with Nyck De Vries
While Hesseling keeps her public profile modest, she has never been absent from De Vries’ most defining athletic achievements. Paddock photographers captured rare, candid glimpses of the couple during the tense final double-header of the 2020, 2021 Formula E season at Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport. De Vries survived a chaotic, incident-packed finale to secure his first FIA World Championship title. Trackside cameras caught Hesseling embracing him behind the Mercedes EQ garage moments after he stepped out of the Silver Arrow 02, visually summarizing years of sacrifice across lower feeder series.
An even more dramatic flashpoint arrived in September 2022. Serving as a Mercedes reserve driver, De Vries received a sudden Saturday morning call-up from Williams Racing to replace an appendicitis-stricken Alex Albon at Monza. With virtually zero preparation in the FW44, De Vries delivered a stunning ninth-place finish, earning two championship points on debut.
The Monza paddock erupted into celebration. Behind the Williams motorhome, Hesseling was on hand to celebrate the unexpected breakthrough that fundamentally changed the trajectory of De Vries' career. Industry reporting from The Cinemaholic at the time pointed out that while the media rapidly labeled them a breakout Drive to Survive couple, their dynamic remained rooted in a shared, unpretentious baseline established long before the sudden influx of Formula 1 fame.