Critics question decision to sack Dutch F1 driver Nick de Vries after first full season

F1 race team AlphaTauri’s decision to fire Nick de Vries has seen mixed reactions over the past week. The team announced Tuesday that Daniel Ricciardo will replace the 28-year-old Dutch driver with immediate effect. Ricciardo was the reserve driver for AlphaTauri owner Red Bull this season.

De Vries has struggled to keep up with team-mate Yuki Tsunoda this season and has yet to score a point. Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko warned De Vries a few weeks ago that results needed to improve. “We expected him to be at least as good or better than teammate Yuki Tsunoda this year, but that’s not the case. In fact, he was 0.3 seconds slower all the time,” Marko said. . No improvement was seen. “

Fellow Dutch driver Max Verstappen put in an impressive performance in Verstappen’s RB19 car during testing at Silverstone after De Vries again failed to score points at Sunday’s British Grand Prix, which was won by fellow Dutch driver Max Verstappen. The decision was made to bring in Ricardo. The Italian-Australian has a wealth of experience in Formula 1, winning eight races and finishing on the podium 32 times. The driver will join AlphaTauri on loan from Red Bull and will have his first race as a team at the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 23.

Dutch racing driver and F1 analyst Tom Coronel said the decision to cut De Vries so early was the wrong move. “In my opinion it is too early to make a decision about a driver as we are not even halfway through the season. He’s not,” he’s nowhere near as good as his teammate in his third year with the team,” he wrote on Twitter. “Nick has won every race class he has entered, including karting, Formula 2, Formula E and some great performances in endurance cars.”

“Like many sports, Formula 1 is a practice of ‘what have you done to me lately?’ With only 20 seats, patience is very important. Even if you are a driver with De Vries pedigree. Even though,” the columnist wrote Mark Scofield of SB Nation. He said his sudden dismissal was “the bitter truth of life in Formula 1. It can be pretty brutal”.

“I really don’t think Nick was given a fair chance to show his worth,” former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde said in an interview with radio station 538. “It wasn’t spectacular,” said de Vries, but said it was worth it. There are some signs of improvement for the new driver. “In retrospect, the time given to him to get used to the car and progress (slowly but surely) was too quick in my opinion,” he also said on Twitter. Van der Garde told 538 that a return would be “very difficult” and that the decision could spell the end of De Vries’ young F1 career.

Another expert also disagreed. “He could return to his former role as reserve driver for Mercedes subsidiary Team Williams,” said JFK magazine editor-in-chief Jerone Jansen. He speculated that the door at Williams may remain open. Conversation with Hart van Nederland on wednesday.

In fact, that same afternoon, De Vries was spotted meeting with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff in a cafe in Monaco.

Toto Wolff and Nick de Vries were spotted at a cafe in Monaco today. 👀#F1 pic.twitter.com/aodVcPjgxT

— Fastest Pit Stop (@FastestPitStop) July 12, 2023

Janssen has also hinted that de Vries could compete in the World Endurance Championship, which includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans. There was speculation that he might return to Formula E.

De Vries made a hasty move to Williams last season, replacing Alex Albon, and signed for AlphaTauri after an excellent performance in the Italian Grand Prix, where he finished eighth. The driver from Friesland was Williams’ reserve driver last season and may be looking to return to the team. A return to the World Endurance Championship or the Formula E division, the league De Vries has already won in the 2020-21 season, is also being mentioned as an option.

Racing is cruel, decisions are cruel. 💔
In my opinion, it’s too early to make decisions about drivers when we’re not even halfway through the season.
He had a good race at Silverstone and made progress throughout the season despite being the slowest car on the track. he’s not far… pic.twitter.com/URVrwY913C

— Tom Coronel (@TomCoronel) July 11, 2023

I didn’t expect it to end so quickly for Nick. In retrospect, the time he was given to get used to the car and the progress (slow but sure) he made – in my opinion – was too quick. For Nick, this is very painful*#%{f^]Right. pic.twitter.com/GorCrWqex2

— Giedo van der Garde (@GvanderGarde) July 11, 2023