Nyck de Vries has already used the limited time with AlphaTauri to fill the gaps for F1 2023 as he gears up for the new challenge.
It has been a long wait for de Vries to finally live the full-time F1 dream having not only won the F2 title but also Formula E. To go with it, he has had the reserve chance with Mercedes and finally got the debut gig with Williams in Monza in 2022.
Not only that, de Vries also ran with five different F1 teams in 2022 and did a seat fit with six teams – the most anyone has ever done. He ran with Mercedes, Williams, Alpine, Aston Martin and AlphaTauri, while he did a seat fit with McLaren.
But all this is behind him now after having signed up with de Vries for 2023. In the limited time he has had with them, the Dutchman is already on case and has used the time to share his experiences with the team to fill the gaps he sees should be filled.
“You can’t force relationships,” said de Vries. “That always takes a bit of time but I’ve been very warmly welcomed. It seemed like everyone was very excited about my arrival and we certainly did everything we could to integrate me as quickly as possible. I spent time with different engineering departments, with different people within the team, and we’ve also done a little bit more specific work on preferences, likings, on all sorts of things.
“I feel like we did a good job of using the time to welcome and integrate me into the team but at the same time, we have started to look at gaps where there is room for improvement which we needed to highlight. We’ve used our time well in terms of the physical aspect and we’ve been pushing really hard. I’m just basically enjoying the ride and I’m very excited to start our season,” summed up de Vries.
Considering how Red Bull works with their drivers, there is always a certain amount of pressure on them. The experience with which he is coming in, it puts him under considerable pressure to perform straight up and he knows that himself.
“There is always healthy pressure,” said de Vries. “I think that is necessary to be fully focused and switched on. I would say I’m still a rookie. Of course, I had the privilege of driving many different cars, but I think the benefits of that are not so much down to the track time, because actually that was very limited.
“Apart from three rookie tests – two at Mercedes, one with Scuderia AlphaTauri – I didn’t do proper testing. The FP1s were a great opportunity and experience to get myself out during a grand prix weekend. That brings a very different pressure to when you are doing a full day of testing because you have very limited time. It’s an opportunity to show yourself but equally, there is more to lose than win so for sure, that is good experience to have.
“I think having the experience to have worked with different teams in different environments will bring a lot of value, but in terms of pure track and race time, I reckon I have less than this year’s other rookies. However, I am a bit older and I’ve had the opportunity to race in different championships so that is a level of experience that brings some value,” summed up de Vries.
Here’s 2023 AlphaTauri livery
Here’s Nyck de Vries winning court case
Here’s AlphaTauri signing deal with ORLEN
Here’s Nyck de Vries on working with Yuki Tsunoda
Here’s Franz Tost on AlphaTauri’s leader situation
