Williams has confirmed the F1 debut of Nyck de Vries for the rest of the Italian GP weekend at Monza after appendicitis to Alexander Albon.
In a surprise move on Saturday morning of F1 Italian GP at Monza, Williams announced and confirmed the news of Albon missing the rest of the weekend. The team noted that the Thai driver got sick and was taken to the hospital for appendicitis treatment.
As a result of which, Albon is no longer cleared to race at Monza by the doctors which forced Williams to replace him with Mercedes reserve de Vries. The Dutchman had his first FP1 drive of 2022 with the Grove-based outfit in Spanish GP.
Since then, he drove in FP1 with Mercedes in French GP and with Aston Martin in the ongoing Italian GP. His timely availability has helped Williams with a quick decision, with the Formula E champion finally getting his long awaited F1 debut at Monza.
“Williams Racing can confirm that, after feeling unwell this morning and seeking medical advice from the FIA and local hospital, Alex Albon is now undergoing treatment for appendicitis,” said a statement.
“Following on from this, we can confirm that the team’s Reserve Driver Nyck de Vries will drive in place of Alex for the remainder of the Italian Grand Prix weekend. Alex is in good spirits and the team wishes him a speedy recovery.”
While in the hospital, Albon looked at the positives and negatives of missing the weekend:
Appendicitis, surgery and no racing isn’t what I was expecting this weekend!
Negatives: – Missing out on what looks like a strong weekend for us – Pain
Positives – Weight reduction for Singapore – Cool scars
Here’s Nyck de Vries on his FP1 drive with Aston Martin