Formula 1 erases Nyck deVries’ existence from the official 2023 Standings by calling him ‘Paul’ from ‘Estonia’
FIA did Nyck deVries dirty by simply removing his existence from the F1 Standings at the end of the 2023 season.
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The massive celebrations of the 2023 Formula 1 season have come to an end after the teams turned up for one last round of racing in Abu Dhabi. This entire year has been one long stretch of Red Bull wins with an exceptional display of brilliance from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz who got P1 at the Singapore GP. And out of the 21 races in this season that the Austrian team have attained victory in, their marqueé driver Max Verstappen won 19 of them. But Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri did not have the same fate as they concluded their 2023 campaign with a lowly P8 spot on the World Constructors’ Standings.
AlphaTauri started their year with immense promise as they paired Yuki Tsunoda with FIA Formula 2 and Formula E Champion Nyck deVries. The second Dutchman to join the F1 circus was set to replace Pierre Gasly as Gasly made his way to Alpine to form a fully French squad with Esteban Ocon. Ever since winning the F2 title in 2018, deVries had been waiting on the sidelines for a seat at the premiere class of motorsports until Helmut Marko took notice of his talent. Coming into F1, deVries said his fellow Dutch racer Max Verstappen is his close friend and frequently gave him advice.
Unfortunately, the F1 dream of the 28-year-old did not last long. DeVries could not get a single point in the first few races which caused the Red Bull authorities to look for his replacement. In the end, the Dutchman was indeed ousted mid-season and RBR reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo was instated in his place. And in the F1 2023 rankings where deVries’ name was supposed to be displayed at the end of the season, a typing error on the FIA’s part saw his existence being completely erased as they showed some Paul deVries’s name and changed his team’s name to Trident and his country to Estonia.
Nyck deVries’ replacement Daniel Ricciardo had to sit out a few races as Liam Lawson made into F1
AlphaTauri recruited Daniel Ricciardo amidst several controversies as they got rid of Nyck deVries mid-season. But the team could hardly enjoy a constant partnership between Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda as the Honey Badger succumbed to a serious wrist injury at the Zandvoort GP and had to be taken off the track to rest and recuperate. He was then attended to by the same doctor who fixed Lance Stroll after his cycling accident ahead of the Bahrain season opener earlier this year.
Stepping up to take Daniel Ricciardo’s place in the AlphaTauri, it was none other than Red Bull’s other reserve driver Liam Lawson. The youngster proved dominant in the few races where he participated in the place of the Australian. And Lawson’s first F1 points scored at the Singapore GP made him a contender for the second seat at AlphaTauri beside Tsunoda. But it was later confirmed that the Red Bull authority in charge of AT’s recruitment would keep Lawson in the sidelines as they signed Tsunoda and Ricciardo for the 2024 season.
In his more recent interviews, it is clear that Liam Lawson has come to terms with the fact that despite his great displays of pace with the AlphaTauri AT-04, he will have to sit out the F1 2024 season. He claimed to understand why Red Bull Chief Helmut Marko and the others weilding the power at the top of the Austrian team feel that he should act as EBE’s reserve driver for now even though his Target remains set upon an entry into the pinnacle of motorsports.
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Riddhi Mondal
(1821 Articles Published)