Alex Albon is out of the Italian GP this weekend and Mercedes reserve driver Nyck de Vries is set to replace him at Williams.
Williams were dealt with a major blow just a day before the 2022 Italian GP. The British team announced that Albon won’t able to take part in the race, and Mercedes’ reserve driver de Vries will replace him for the rest of the weekend.
This came as a surprise for fans as Albon seemed fine yesterday. Williams, however, revealed that the 26-year-old was feeling unwell since today morning. He is being treated by the doctors for appendicitis and is not in a condition to drive an F1 car.
In a statement, they said, “Williams Racing can confirm that, after feeling unwell this morning and seeking medical advice from the FIA and local hospital, Alex Albon is now undergoing treatment for appendicitis.”
“Following on from this, we can confirm that the team’s Reserve Driver Nyck de Vries will drive in place of Alex for the remainder of the Italian Grand Prix weekend. Alex is in good spirits and the team wishes him a speedy recovery.”
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Nick de Vries set to make his F1 debut replacing Alex Albon
De Vries has been waiting for an opportunity in F1 for a long time now. The 27-year-old won the 2019 F2 Championship and since then a lot of people have wanted to see him in F1.
However, due to lack of opportunities in the sport at the time, he moved away to Formula-E, where he showed everyone just how good he was. He drove for Mercedes in the series and won the 2020-21 Championship. In 42 starts, he was four wins and eight podium finishes to his name.
Albon’s appendicitis is unfortunate for the former Red Bull star. De Vries, however, will be hoping that he can capitalize on this opportunity. The 2023 drivers line up is set for a major shake up. If De Vries can impress in the Williams, it’s probable that some teams may keep an eye out for the Dutchman.
Albon is the only Williams driver to score points this season. The Thai-British driver is currently 19th in the standings with four points.
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