Overwhelmed de Vries on F1 interest - "The phone just kept going"

Ewan Gale
Wednesday 19 October 2022 17:11

Nyck de Vries has conceded the interest in his services for 2023 following his stellar F1 debut was "very overwhelming" as his phone "just kept going".

The Dutchman stood in for Alex Albon at the Italian Grand Prix when the Williams driver was hospitalised with appendicitis and outclassed team-mate Nicholas Latifi on his way to securing two points by finishing ninth.

The former Mercedes Formula E world champion thrust himself into a leading position to claim a seat in F1, with interest from Williams, Alpine and AlphaTauri piqued.

De Vries was announced as Pierre Gasly's replacement at AlphaTauri ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix and will partner Yuki Tsunoda at the team from 2023.

Addressing the reaction from teams following his top-10 finish, de Vries told the Beyond the Grid podcast: "It was very overwhelming.

"At the same time, I think my experience and my maturity helped me remain very grounded.

"It was a great experience and I am very grateful for everything that happened that weekend because I want to acknowledge that we had the necessary luck and support during and post-weekend.

"My dad happened to be there, coincidentally, because he was in Monaco in my apartment and when he found out I was racing, he drove down to Monza.

"We are very emotional. We don't talk about it but we are very emotional. So on Sunday I got into the track and he was already there at the Heineken lounge, I gave him a hug but we couldn't exchange even a word because I could feel we were both about to cry."

On the influx of interest that followed his debut, de Vries added: "On Sunday, we drove back to Monaco and on Monday morning, we woke up and went to the beach.

"We put a towel on the sand, went into the water and enjoyed the moment but the phone just kept going.

"We are from the north of the Netherlands, people just see us as farmers. But we are also very grounded. I wanted to use the momentum and the buzz that was happening to conquer and create the opportunity for me in F1 for 2023.

"So quite quickly, we just went back to reality."