AlphaTauri Sacking Didn't Come As 'Total Surprise' To De Vries

Monday, 08 January 2024 at 11:04

Former F1 driver who raced for AlphaTauri during the major part of the first half of the season, Nyck De Vries recently suggested it wasn't too much of a surprise when he learned about his sacking.

Nyck De Vries waited for his chance in Formula 1 for a long time, and he finally got it during the 2022 Italian Grand Prix, where he replaced Alex Albon in Williams.

The Dutch driver got one chance to show what he's got, and he managed to score ninth place, which was an incredible result for his team.

As he proved to have great potential, Alphatauri decided to give the 28-year-old a chance during the 2023 season. However, the rookie couldn't score a single point in the first ten races, and his new team lost patience very quickly.

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As quickly as he found a seat in the F1 car, he was quickly replaced by another driver (Daniel Ricciardo). It seemed to be quite a cruel decision from his team at the time, but de Vries told De Telegraaf:

"I don't think that's surprising. But everyone experiences good times and more difficult times. And yes, pain is also part of life."

Former Dutch F1 driver Giedo van der Garde said he believed de Vries could have achieved similar results to what his AlphaTauri drivers did at the end of the season. Unfortunately, we will never know that. De Vries continued:

"I didn't get a lot of it and tried to distance myself from it as much as possible. But at the same time, I can't say that the decision came as a total surprise."

What didn't play into the 28-year-old's cads was Ricciardo's super successful tire test in the seat of RB19 at Silverstone. It was after this test that Helmut Marko decided he had a better driver to replace de Vries with. The former F1 driver added:

"In the end, I think I wasn't quite in place there, at that moment. It just wasn't working. Formula 1 is something I have dreamed of for so long and then it stops so soon. That is a huge disappointment. But it's part of life and also a bit part of the sport."