AlphaTauri has sent a message to Nyck de Vries after firing the rookie to hire Daniel Ricciardo. The Dutchman was hotly tipped to be F1’s next big star but has struggled since joining the Red Bull junior team earlier this season.
De Vries was one of just two drivers who failed to score points this year while he was regularly beaten by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda. Ricciardo’s impressive Pirelli tyre test at Silverstone on Tuesday appeared to be the final nail in the coffin with the ex-Formula E champion handed his marching orders.
In a last message to the 27-year-old, Franz Tost, the team boss at AlphaTauri said: “I would like to thank Nyck for his valuable contribution during his time with Scuderia AlphaTauri and I wish him all the best for the future.”
However, Tost admitted he was thrilled to have Ricciardo in his squad with the Australian back on the grid after missing the first 10 races of the 2023 campaign. Tost added: “I’m very pleased to welcome Daniel back into the team.
“There’s no doubt about his driving skills, and he already knows many of us, so his integration will be easy and straightforward. The team will also profit a lot from his experience, as he is an eight-time Formula One Grand Prix winner.”
De Vries’ best F1 finish was P12 in Monaco, one of just two occasions where he beat Tsunoda over a race distance. It was understood De Vries was handed a four-race ultimatum to secure points or lose his seat.
However, Red Bull bosses decided to cut that four-race stint short and opted against giving the Dutch star until F1’s summer break to turn things around.
De Vries’ sister Seychelle reacted to the news on social media ahead of the decision being made public. She posted a photo of herself alongside her brother, adding the caption: ‘Always got your back.”
It is understood Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was not a fan of De Vries’ and didn’t want him to sign for AlphaTauri in the first place. Helmut Marko made the admission when he revealed Horner sometimes had opposing views on drivers.
He told the Inside Line podcast: “Not often, but sometimes we do. The last one… I would say De Vries. Basically, it’s AlphaTauri, but we’re a big family and we get opinions. [Horner] was not a fan of De Vries. I would say at the moment it looks like he’s right.”
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