F1 analyst claims Nyck De Vries’s AlphaTauri sacking has ‘left a stain’ on the 2023 F1 season
Nyck De Vries was sacked just after 10 Formula 1 Grand Prix outings.
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Nyck De Vries (Credits: Sports Illustrated)
The 2023 F1 season is currently in its summer break, but despite this fact, the heat around the sport is still extremely high. F1 analyst Kees van de Grint has revealed that Nyck De Vries’s brutal sacking by the Red Bull hierarchy has left a stain on F1 and further believes that the plan to replace him with Daniel Ricciardo was always in the pipeline.
Nyck De Vries came into the 2023 F1 season with the hope of proving his mettle; however, things just did not pan out in his favor, and after just ten rounds, he was shown the exit door by Helmut Marko and Co. A lot was said about his departure from the team back then, and the F1 paddock was divided on it.
Kees van de Grint, while bringing the Nyck De Vries saga into light, has told Motorsport, “Well, unfortunately, I have to say [that] the first thing that comes to my mind is the nasty affair around Nyck de Vries. “I think that’s especially from the human side. That’s what has left a bit of a mark with me.”
Moreover, he revealed that Red Bull always planned to replace the Dutchman with Ricciardo. “At a certain point, Ricciardo is hired there as a kind of show driver. But yes, then you can imagine that behind the scenes there has been working on this plan for a long time. I just don’t think it’s neat. I don’t know at all how his contract (from Nyck, ed.) is put together, but I think he should have driven at least until the end of the year.”
Daniel Ricciardo has taken a risk by joining AlphaTauri
While Daniel Ricciardo has managed to squeeze his way back into the sport courtesy of De Vries’s exit, he has taken a massive gamble as far as his career at the pinnacle of motor racing is concerned. He wants a top F1 seat, but if he gets outperformed by Yuki Tsunoda, he could be on his way out of the sport next year.
The 34-year-old’s current deal runs until the end of 2023, and during the upcoming second leg, several eyes will be on his exploits against his young Japanese teammate. Tsunoda is no slouch, and if Ricciardo cannot come up with his A-game, he will come under a lot of criticism.
The F1 extravaganza is returning on the 25th of August, and for AlphaTauri drivers, the target will be to score points on as many occasions as possible. Considering everything, it would be fascinating to see who would have the bragging rights at the end of the campaign between Ricciardo and Tsunoda.
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)