Toto Wolff claims Nyck De Vries 'DESERVES' to be on the F1 grid

Toto Wolff

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Wolff claims De Vries 'DESERVES' to be on the F1 grid

Mercedes boss believes that Red Bull should have given him more time.

Luis Raya

Wednesday 30 August 2023 20:57 Updated: 21:01

Toto Wolff has defended Nyck de Vries after he was sacked from AlphaTauri mid-season, and believes the Dutchman is good enough to be in Formula 1.

De Vries drove for AlphaTauri until the British Grand Prix, and was replaced by Daniel Ricciardo from Hungary onwards after failing to perform to the level expected by Red Bull.

Many, including George Russell, have criticised the way Red Bull treats its drivers, putting them under pressure and not giving them much time to achieve great things.

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These criticisms have been joined by Toto Wolff, who has been with De Vries throughout his sports career, and he does not see the Dutch driver's hasty exit as fair due to the limited time given. The Austrian believes that with the right time and confidence De Vries could have become a great Formula 1 driver.

“I think he deserves to be on the grid,” Wolff told the media. “The moment you’re not feeling confident in a car over a prolonged period, the more pressure you put on yourself, the less good you perform. And I think this happened.

“He’s quick. If you win F3 and F2 there is high potential and he was never able to show it.”

A 12th position in Monaco was De Vries' best race in 2023

De Vries' road to Formula 1

Outside of Formula 1, De Vries has proven to be a skilled and competent driver. The Dutchman won Formula 2 in 2019 and the Formula E championship in the 2020-21 season with Mercedes.

In 2020, De Vries did his first F1 test with Mercedes, and during 2022 he participated in several free practice sessions with the Silver Arrows and Williams. The Dutchman replaced Alex Albon at Williams for the 2022 Italian Grand Prix, completing a strong performance where he finished ninth and scored two points in his first Formula 1 race.

This strong performance, together with his achievements and experience outside F1, led Red Bull to sign him to AlphaTauri for 2023 following Pierre Gasly's departure to Alpine, joining Yuki Tsunoda in his third year in the category.

Nevertheless, De Vries didn't perform up to the level of the Japanese driver and was replaced after 10 rounds. Following this, the Dutchman announced that he would be taking some time away from motorsport to focus on his studies.