Behind every overnight success is a story of sacrifice, hard work, and dedication. Nyck de Vries has become the most recent overnight success story of F1. The moment he crossed the checkered flag in Italy, the world knew a star was born. At 27 years old, he’s not getting young. But what he is, is pretty fast, and he’s here to stay.
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P9 on your debut, in a Williams, at the iconic circuit of Monza. It’s the kind of thing that goes down in the history books. When Nyck got in the FW44, he wasn’t just substituting for Alex Albon, he was fighting for a place of his own in the grid. A place he has so rightfully earned.
Fast forward one month, de Vries now has a confirmed seat with Red Bull’s sister team, AlphaTauri. While the Red Bull boss has a reputation for being a strict and straightforward man, the Mercedes reserve driver explained in Beyond the Grid podcast of seeing the other side of the Austrian.
De Vries said, “We had a great time together. We spent 2 days eating Austrian local food, talking about the future together. He has a good sense of humor and we respected each other. I think he appreciated me for being there and presenting myself and having the conversation with him directly.”
Nyck will replace Alpine-bound Pierre Gasly next season and will partner alongside Yuki Tsunoda. The Dutchman has previously won FE and F2 and will be keen to try his luck at the pinnacle of motorsport.
Mercedes driver George Russell heaps major praise on outgoing reserve driver Nyck de Vries
Mr. consistency, George Russell welcomes the arrival of Nyck de Vries with a bold claim about the Dutchman. The Mercedes reserve driver was happy to see Nyck getting the chance he deserved and claimed he was the “man to beat” during their karting days. George, Nyck, Albon, Max Verstappen, and Charles Leclerc used to kart and compete together.
The Mercedes driver also stated that he was the only one who didn’t make it out of the 5 drivers and “deserved” the chance that he earned.
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Russell said, “Those five drivers – myself, Alex [Albon], Max [Verstappen], Charles [Leclerc] and Nyck – who were in that era of racing against each other at 11, 12, Nyck was the only one who didn’t make it, so I’m happy for him.”
He further added, “I’ve always rated him. In go-karting, he was the man to beat. Out of all of us, he was probably the most successful.”
Most of the drivers on the grid rightfully congratulated Nyck after his brilliant points finish. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were seen embracing the Dutch driver with a hug.
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There are just 4 races to go before the season ends. Nyck de Vries will be hoping for them to get over quickly so he could get himself in the AlphaTauri car. Will the Dutchman be able to deliver in F1?