Nyck de Vries slams ‘shameless people’ who got back in touch after Italian GP success
Nyck de Vries' career turned around after his performance in Monza last season, and he found a seat at AlphaTauri. But with that success came favor-seekers.
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Nyck de Vries
Nyck de Vries won Formula 2 in 2019 and then won Formula E in 2021. So, technically, he is a world champion (in Formula E). But a seat in F1 was rather hard to find for him. In 2021 and 2022, he serves as Mercedes’s reserve driver, but no real opportunities came up for him there. But he did drive in 4 FP1 sessions last season, and being present in the grid at an opportune moment turned his future upside down.
de Vries was present in the paddock during the Italian Grand Prix weekend, as he was scheduled to drive for Aston Martin in FP1. Then, Alex Albon was diagnosed with appendicitis, and the Dutchman was the man chosen to replace him for the rest of the weekend. He out-qualified and out-raced his (regular driver) temporary teammate Nicholas Latifi, scoring two points. For some time, the Canadian was 21st in a 20-driver championship. At relatively the same time, AlphaTauri were seeking a replacement for Pierre Gasly – who wanted to move to Alpine.
Red Bull’s first choice seemed to be IndyCar star, Colton Herta. But they tried and failed to get a super license exemption for him. de Vries was available, and in their eyes due to his recent impressive performance in Monza. So, he got the nod instead. According to the Dutchman, some people then tried to bandwagon on his recent successes. In conversation with De Telegraaf, he said: “It’s extraordinary how shameless some people are.”
People who weren’t too keen on supporting de Vries when he was going through a ‘down’ period in his career suddenly came flooding back as he got his chance in F1: “Types you haven’t heard from in a long time, or who haven’t exactly been my biggest supporters, and then they get back in touch. I am also not concerned with how I am perceived by the outside world.”
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Nyck de Vries will remain the ‘same guy’ as before despite move to F1
It’s a rather universal experience: People who did not care whatever you were doing suddenly come asking for favors when you even have a little success or reach a desirable position. Nyck de Vries’ experience after his fantastic outing in Monza was no different. While it helped him find a seat in F1, many favor-seekers also came his way.
Further, de Vries would like for people to respect him for his performances – and not for the things he may say on talk shows: “This will be my first year in Formula 1. I would like to command respect through my performance and not what I say on television. I will remain the same guy as before, in that respect, nothing will change. After that race in Monza, all kinds of people suddenly came my way who wanted something from me. I do have to shield myself from that.”
de Vries will partner Yuki Tsunoda, who despite being a little over 5 years younger than the Dutchman, will be in his third year as an F1 driver. That’s definitely going to be an interesting dynamic. AlphaTauri has the status of a kind of academy team for Red Bull, so it remains to be seen if de Vries can convince the team enough to not be replaced by a younger driver in the near future. Or if he can make a step up into another team.
In case you missed it:
- “Deep down, I always kept a certain faith,” Nyck De Vries never gave up on his F1 dream despite 4 rejections
- ‘I need to be fitter and stronger than Max,’ Nyck De Vries is eager to impress as his prepares for his first full season in F1
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Aniket Tripathi
(1002 Articles Published)