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

Nyck De Vries is set to sever ties with Mercedes as he will replace Pierre Gasly at AlphaTauri for the 2023 F1 season.

Nyck De Vries signed with Mercedes in 2019 with the hopes of driving in F1. The Dutchman was allowed to test the car and has been the reserve driver for the Silver Arrows for the 3 years.

The $5 Million net worth driver was always hopeful of breaking into F1. But the sport has been extremely difficult for drivers to break into. And when George Russell was named as the replacement for Valtteri Bottas, the decision was clear.

De Vries was snubbed of the Williams seat as it went to Alex Albon. And the Dutchman was only given a couple of test runs with Mercedes.

Mercedes’s Team Principal Toto Wolff earlier stated that they were happy with Nyck. But the Austrian said he “can’t help” the 27-year-old find an F1 seat and will have to let him go.

Thus De Vries took his future into his own hands. And in 2023, he will be moving to Red Bull’s ‘B’ team, AlphaTauri to replace the Alpine-bound Pierre Gasly.

 

Mercedes Technical Director Mike Elliot said, “I think for us as a team, it’s a shame to see him go somewhere else. But at the same time, we’re really pleased for him. It’s nice to see a driver with the talent he’s got getting that opportunity.”

He adds, “What I see is a really nice guy. But a guy that’s very knowledgeable, who understands the sport, understands engineering in the car.”

Also Read: “Just give Helmut Marko a call”: Max Verstappen became cupid in Nyck de Vries and AlphaTauri coming together

Nyck De Vries cant test for AlphaTauri yet

Nyck De Vries got a chance to test for all Mercedes power teams. He replaced William’s Alex Albon for the Italian GP, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton for the French GP and Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel for the Italian GP.

After Albon developed appendicitis ahead of the Italian GP, De Vries was named as his replacement. And in his F1 debut, the Dutchman qualified 13th beating his experienced teammate Nicholas Latifi.

He started P8 and finished P9, scoring points on his F1 debut. This made him a contender for the AlphaTauri seat says Team Principal Franz Tost.

Tost says, “He drove a fantastic race and did not make any mistakes. And therefore, it was an easy decision to take him.”

However, De Vries won’t get to test for his future team and get a headstart. The Dutchman is still contracted to Mercedes as their reserve driver for the current season.

Tost adds, “I don’t think so because he still has a contract with another team. I hope that we can see him in Abu Dhabi for the Young Driver Test.”

Also Read: 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton reveals his dad helped Nyck De Vries almost getting F1 seat

Franz Tost says Nyck De Vries deserves to be in F1

Nyck De Vries has been unfortunate to have not received a chance to race in F1 earlier. The Dutchman has been a fantastic prospect and has achieved multiple victories in the junior categories.

The Dutchman claimed the 2019 F2 Championship. He was given the chance to drive for the new Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team. And in 2021 he claimed the title after claiming 2 wins, 4 podiums and 99 points.

Tost remembers seeing the driver win titles from his Karting days. He said, “I saw him in karting, and he won. I think it was 2010 and ’11, the European and the World Championship in karting, and then he was really successful.”

Tost adds, “He won in Formula Renault, he won in GP3, he won in Formula 2 and also he won the Formula E World Championship. And therefore I think he is a very high-skilled driver, and he deserves to be in Formula 1.”

F1 will be the next big step for De Vries who has been waiting for the opportunity since 2019. And after a great showing in his F1 debut, all eyes will be on the Dutchman when he hits the track next year.

Also Read: “3-time world champion would have taken his hat off for Nyck de Vries”– Mercedes boss praises Formula E driver substituting Alex Albon for the race in Italy