Photo by ANP via Getty Images
For the first time Nyck de Vries discusses his dismissal from AlphaTauri
In the wake of the shocking news that AlphaTauri was replacing Nyck de Vries with veteran Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo, much has been said and written about the move from Ricciardo’s point of view.
Now we have finally heard from the outgoing driver himself.
De Vries took to social media on Wednesday to discuss his dismissal, as well as to thank his family as well as those who have supported him over the course of his racing career. His statement comes alongside a photo of the driver from his early days:
The statement reads in part “Of course it hurts that the F1 chance I dreamed of for so long ended prematurely. But life is not a destination, it’s a journey, and sometimes you have to take the hard road to get where you want to be.”
De Vries also addresses recent stories attributing some alleged quotes to him in the wake of his dismissal. Reports surfaced on Twitter and other social media outlets alleging that the driver indicated he had been “promised” a seat at Red Bull for 2025, and calling into question Max Verstappen’s Drivers’ Championship in 2021.
After De Vries’ team fired back at those rumors, calling them “fake and defamatory,” the driver addressed them himself. “I received some interesting articles about things I’ve said in the last week. For clarity, I haven’t spoken to any media and for the time being I’ll enjoy some me time.”
As for his next stop, it remains to be seen where he could land. Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko floated the notion of De Vries taking on a bigger role in endurance racing after the driver was dismissed. Other reports have linked De Vries with a spot in Formula E, with either Nissan or Maserati.
De Vries was reportedly in line to drive for Maserati this season, until AlphaTauri came calling. Maserati Team Principal James Rossiter has spoken highly of De Vries in recent days, telling GP Blog, calling him an “exciting driver.”
“Well I think first and foremost, what happened to Nyck is incredibly unfortunate. I think not being able to showcase your talent for an entire season and clearly he was building on his pace,” said Rossiter to GP Blog. “Everyone forgets Yuki [Tsunoda] has been there a long time and been doing a great job so I feel very sorry for Nyck first and foremost that he’s been kicked out let’s say he was at a point where it was about to start getting good for him. Bit sad for that to be honest.”
“Obviously as a Formula E champion he brings a lot of credibility and experience so he would be an exciting driver,” added Rossiter when asked directly by GP Blog about a De Vries move to Maserati.
Given his resume, it should not take long for De Vries to find a seat. Perhaps the next time we hear from the driver, it will come in the form of an announcement for either the rest of 2023, or his plans for 2024.
