“Niki Lauda would have taken his hat off,” Toto Wolff showers massive praise on Nyck De Vries for his Monza exploits

“Niki Lauda would have taken his hat off,” Toto Wolff showers massive praise on Nyck De Vries for his Monza exploits

Nyck de Vries

Nyck De Vries until the Italian Grand Prix was nowhere near being a strong candidate for a race seat in F1 for 2023, however, with his Monza exploits, he has thrown the driver market into disarray, and Toto Wolff has praised the Dutchman on his special performance.

Moreover, Toto Wolff has admitted that Mercedes’s former Chairman, Niki Lauda would have taken his iconic red cap off after seeing De Vries Monza outing in a Williams livery.

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Nyck De Vries was told just before the FP3 session in Monza that he was going to replace Alex Albon for the race. The That-British driver was sidelined due to an appendicitis problem. In Qualifying, De Vries pulled off a Q2 appearance, and because of the penalties throughout the gird, was moved up to P8 for the start of the race.

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The 27-year-old had an outing to remember as throughout the race he was involved in one tussle or the other, and at the end of it, was able to come out with a fantastic P9 finish for the Wantage-based Williams team.

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Toto Wolff’s take on Nyck De Vries outing in Monza

Toto Wolff
Toto Wolff

Nyck De Vries received a lot of praise from almost everyone in the F1 paddock for his Monza outing, and being the reserve driver of Mercedes, it was no surprise to see him get applauded by Toto Wolff as well.

De Vries has driven for the German team in Formula E for the past three seasons and has managed to win the coveted title in his second season with the team.

Nyck De Vries
Nyck De Vries

Toto Wolff is convinced that Niki Lauda would have also been extremely impressed seeing Nyck De Vries outperform faster cars in a Williams car. While appreciating De Vries, Wolff added, “I like him a lot. He is just a fine young man. He is not only fast, as he has shown in the junior categories, but he is also intelligent and a good team player.”

Wolff believes that De Vries is not only fast but has also got a stable head on him that allows him to make the right decisions when he is fighting on the track.

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