Nyck De Vries gives honest Daniel Ricciardo verdict after losing F1 seat

Daniel Ricciardo replaced Nyck de Vries — Photo: © LAT Images

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De Vries gives honest Ricciardo verdict after losing F1 seat

The Dutchman was replaced by Ricciardo earlier this year

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 7 January 2024 09:12

Dutch racing driver Nyck de Vries has said that he holds 'no grudge' against Daniel Ricciardo, or Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, despite being replaced just 10 races into his debut season in Formula 1.

De Vries was dropped from the AlphaTauri team after the British Grand Prix back in July, following a series of poor performances and costly mistakes.

He was replaced by Ricciardo, who himself had faced rejection just a few months earlier when McLaren revealed that they would be terminating his contract at the end of 2022.

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While many criticised AlphaTauri for dropping De Vries after so little time to prove himself, Ricciardo's performances - particularly in the latter stages of the season - showed that the car was capable of more than the zero points De Vries had accumulated.

Nyck de Vries struggled to impress during his debut season with AlphaTauri

Nyck de Vries was replaced by Daniel Ricciardo in 2023

Nyck de Vries will team up with Toyota in 2024 for the WEC

De Vries holding no grudges

Now, De Vries has spoken about some of the criticism he received during his time at AlphaTauri, including from Marko himself.

“I didn't understand a lot and tried to distance myself from it as much as possible,” De Vries told De Telegraaf.

“But at the same time I cannot say that the decision came as a total surprise. I'm not naive. Whether it is fair or just is actually completely irrelevant to me. I also have no grudge against Helmut Marko or Daniel Ricciardo or his temporary replacement Liam Lawson. That's part of the business. I am very grateful for the opportunity I have been given.”

“I don't look at it that way. I'm a perfectionist, so there are always situations and moments where I think afterwards: I could have done that better. Ultimately, I don't think I was quite in the right place there at that moment. It just didn't work.

"Formula 1 is something I have dreamed of for so long and then it ends so quickly. That's a huge disappointment. But it's part of life and also a bit of sport. That may sound very rational, but that's really how I feel. I embrace the things that have now come my way again.”

McLaren Daniel Ricciardo Helmut Marko British Grand Prix AlphaTauri Nyck de Vries