F1 News: Nyck de Vries Addresses "Premature" AlphaTauri Exit

Former F1 driver, Nyck de Vries, candidly addressed his abrupt AlphaTauri exit.

Author:
Lydia Mee
Publish date:
Sep 28, 2023

Former AlphaTauri driver Nyck de Vries expressed his feelings on his abrupt exit from Formula 1 after just a 10-race stint. The Dutch driver's F1 dreams were cut short, but he remains optimistic about the future, emphasising the need to move forward.

Key Takeaways:

Nyck de Vries experienced a short-lived F1 journey with AlphaTauri, getting dropped after merely 10 races, despite high expectations, including speculations by Helmut Marko that de Vries would surpass Yuki Tsunoda as the team's leading driver.
Almost three months post his F1 departure, de Vries is set to start afresh, joining Mahindra for the upcoming Formula E season, a championship he dominated during the 2020/21 season.

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Nyck de Vries' promising start in Formula 1, especially after marking his presence by scoring points for Williams at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix, raised hopes for a prosperous F1 career. The anticipation was further solidified when Red Bull's motorsport advisor, Dr Helmut Marko, vouched for de Vries' potential to overshadow Yuki Tsunoda. However, reality painted a contrasting picture as de Vries' F1 aspirations were dashed when Red Bull chose to replace him with Daniel Ricciardo after just 10 races.

The decision, naturally, attracted sharp criticism, as the racing fraternity stood united against Red Bull's "harsh" decision. De Vries, demonstrating grace, had previously issued a brief statement mentioning the "hurt" of a "premature" end to his F1 journey, but also took the chance to show gratitude to both Red Bull and AlphaTauri for the opportunity.

Now charting a new course, de Vries is set to rejoin Formula E with Mahindra Racing. Speaking to The Race, he reflected on his F1 exit:

“Of course, it hurts to end things prematurely.
“Life is not a destination, it’s a journey.
“I felt like I had enough time to assess what happened and to reset and to move forward. I’m truly excited and I can literally feel fresh motivation to get back to racing.”