In the wake of a series of disappointing performances by Dutch driver Nyck De Vries, which resulted in AlphaTauri hanging at the bottom of the Constructor’s standings, the team made a significant change by replacing him with Red Bull’s reserve driver, Daniel Ricciardo.
After AlphaTauri’s decision to replace De Vries, the Dutch driver remained silent about his sacking for some time. However, he finally addressed the situation and shared his thoughts through a social media post on Wednesday.
Dutch driver reflects on F1 dismissal
In the post he shared, the Dutch driver expressed gratitude to Red Bull and AlphaTauri for providing the rookie with the opportunities to live his dream in Formula 1. However, he also revealed how much the loss of his seat has affected him emotionally.
“I would like to thank Red Bull and Scuderia AlphaTauri for the opportunity to live my dream. Of course it hurts that the F1 chance I dreamed of for so long ended prematurely. But life is not a destination, it’s a journey, and sometimes you have to take the hard road to get where you want to be.”
In addition, De Vries disclosed that he has refrained from speaking to the media since his departure from Formula One. Consequently, he denied the authenticity of any quotes attributed to him that have been circulating around by the media.
Pundits feared for de Vries’ F1 career following AlphaTauri’s ousting
Former Formula One driver and current pundit Ralf Schumacher holds the view that Red Bull’s abrupt driver change from Nyck de Vries to Daniel Ricciardo could be seen as a “death sentence” for de Vries’ Formula One career.
Although he acknowledges that the decision to remove the struggling and scoreless Dutch rookie from AlphaTauri, Red Bull’s junior outfit, is “understandable.”
According to Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko, the decision to switch drivers in the middle of the season was already communicated to Daniel Ricciardo before the test at Silverstone.
“Daniel already knew before the test at Silverstone that if he could perform, he would have the cockpit,” he said.
He further added, “he more than survived this pressure situation.”
At the end of his post, the 28-year-old driver, who held the title of the 2020-21 Formula-E champion, added that he will be taking a break from all social media platforms. He expressed his gratitude to everyone who supported him during this time.
“Thank you to everyone for your kind and encouraging messages in the past week. It’s been heart-warming to feel your support. ”
The future of the young driver remains unknown as no news has been shared so far. Despite De Vries’ inconsistent performance in F1, the Dutch driver has displayed his skills in other motorsports like. Formula E and the World Endurance Championship. Giving the driver an opportunity to race once again behind another racing machine.
