“I was rejected by 4 teams before debut” – Nyck de Vries stays determined despite setbacks in F1 journey

Nyck de Vries stole the show with his flawless performance at the 2022 Italian GP. The Dutchman was subbed in the last minute for Alex Albon after the Williams driver was ruled out due to appendicitis just hours ahead of qualifying.

De Vries stepped in with no knowledge about the car and let his talent do the talking. The Dutchman managed to qualify for P13 in his first F1 Qualification beating regular teammate Nicholas Latifi by a mile.

He would finish the race P9 grabbing points in his F1 debut. This impressive result prompted teams to consider hiring the Dutchman. And he was announced as AlphaTauri’s 2023 driver alongside Yuki Tsunoda.

 

Nyck de Vries has a resume that would bother many as to why he wasn’t a regular in the F1 grid. The 27-year-old is the 2019 F2 Champion and has also bagged the 2020–21 Formula E World Championship.

The Dutchman was scouted by McLaren for their young driver programme. But with the lack of racing opportunities to progress he made a move to Mercedes in 2019 as their reserve driver.

His road to F1 looked unlikely and he almost gave up hope of becoming an F1 racer. The Dutchman’s rise is an inspiring story and shows how one must be ready when the opportunity arrives.

Also Read: 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton reveals his dad helped Nyck De Vries almost gGetF1 seat

How Nyck de Vries was rejected by teams before his F1 debut

Nyck De Vries raced for Silver Arrow’s Formula E team and featured in multiple test runs for Mercedes and its partner teams like Williams and Aston Martin. But the Dutchman always wanted to be a full-time F1 driver.

There were rumours ahead of 2022 that he could be loaned to Williams. But the team chose to sign former Red Bull driver Alex Albon instead. But De Vries did not let the rejection ruin his hopes.

He said, “I had a lot of frustration and that’s also why I was always able to do it all with a lot of pleasure and motivation because I was thrilled with what I did have.”

He added, “Despite being rejected four times in the last year, I always kept a certain faith.” We believe these to be Williams, Aston Martin, Mercedes and Alpine for whom the Dutchman has tested.

Nyck claims there were talks between him and Mercedes over the 2022 seat. But that did not work out as the team signed George Russell in 2022.

He adds, “In 2021, I was allowed to win the Formula E championship, then we were very close but didn’t succeed either. That little bit of hope was enough to keep the belief and the drive and not give up.”

Also Read: “Just give Helmut Marko a call” – How 2-time world champion Max Verstappen helped Nyck De Vries get AlphaTauri seat?

All eyes are on de Vries ahead of his F1 season debut

After his big break in Monza, Nyck de Vries was hot property. And with the confirmation of Pierre Gasly’s move to Alpine, AlphaTauri swooped in to sign the Dutchman.

De Vries might be the lesser-known Dutch representative in the F1 grid. The other is the current F1 champion Max Verstappen. But he has quite a reputation.

F1 drivers who have driven alongside him in Karting and junior Formula categories have regarded him as immensely talented. Even his former Mercedes FE Team Principal Ian James stated that he ‘deserved’ to be on the grid.

James said, “Any team that he drives for is going to benefit from that approach. He has a way of saying what needs to be said, pointing out where improvements can be made. But doing it in a diplomatic fashion that doesn’t get people’s backs up.”

And therefore, all eyes will be locked on the Dutchman as he hits the racetrack in Bahrain on 5th March for his long-awaited first F1 season.

Also Read: “It’s a shame to lose Nyck De Vries” – Mercedes regret losing $5 Million net worth driver to AlphaTauri