De Vries thought AlphaTauri’s leaving, saying, “It just wasn’t working”

The 10-race AlphaTauri journey that Nyck de Vries had last year was short lived. After the British Grand Prix, the Dutchman was dismissed from the Red Bull sister squad and Daniel Ricciardo took his place. However, according to de Vries, he anticipated this move.

According to Nyck de Vries, a string of poor results this past season led to his ouster from the AlphaTauri squad.

Following his successful performance for Williams at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix, de Vries was given an opportunity at AlphaTauri with Yuki Tsunoda for the upcoming campaign.

Notwithstanding his extensive racing background, which includes championship victories in Formula 2 and Formula E, the Dutchman found it difficult to catch up.

The squad confirmed after the British Grand Prix that Daniel Ricciardo will take over for de Vries for the balance of the season.

Since then, De Vries has found another full-time racing opportunity, and he will compete for Toyota in the World Endurance Championship and return to Formula E with Mahindra.

Midway through his debut season, de Vries announced his withdrawal from Formula One and told the De Telegraaf that he was overwhelmed with encouragement after his ousting.

“I think I was able to put it into perspective very quickly,” De Vries said. “I received enormous support, all together I think I received about 4,000 messages.

“That has done me good. I could sit in a corner and cry, but that wouldn’t help anyone. Of course it hurt.

“I don’t think that’s surprising. But everyone experiences good times and more difficult times. And yes, pain is also part of life.”

“The departure was not unexpected”

De Vries acknowledged that the departure was not unexpected, but he has no ill will against the people who made the decisions.

“I didn’t get a lot of it and tried to distance myself from it as much as possible,” he said. “But at the same time, I can’t say that the decision came as a total surprise.

“I’m not naive. Whether it is fair or just is actually totally irrelevant to me. Nor do I hold any grudge at all towards Helmut Marko, Daniel Ricciardo or his temporary replacement Liam Lawson.

“That is part of the business. I am very grateful for the opportunity I have been given.”

De Vries went on to say that he has no interest in analyzing whether or not his first year expectations were set too high.

“That’s not how I look at it. I’m a perfectionist, so there are always situations and moments where in hindsight I think: I could have done that better.

“In the end, I think I wasn’t quite in place there, at that moment. It just wasn’t working. Formula 1 is something I have dreamed of for so long and then it stops so soon.

“That is a huge disappointment. But it’s part of life and also a bit part of the sport.

“When you grow up as a young driver, Formula 1 is your only goal. The crown jewel of our sport. But I have learned and realized that there is more than that.

“Personally, I enjoyed Formula E and the WEC immensely, so I’m looking forward to that immensely now. Motor racing is more than Formula 1, although I understand that the general public may see it differently.”

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