De Vries: F1 was a challenge but I’m grateful for the opportunity

The Dutch driver made his debut in 2023 with AlphaTauri, Red Bull's then-satellite team, racing for ten events before being replaced by Daniel Ricciardo. Despite his time in F1 being short-lived, De Vries said: “AlphaTauri was a challenge, but I don’t hold a grudge. I’m grateful for the opportunity I was given. I was also able to realise a boyhood dream, even though it was a short chapter in my career.”

The 28-year-old, who had a proven track record in Formula 2 and Formula E, made his F1 debut after a promising substitute performance with Williams. Expectations were high, but De Vries struggled to match his teammate Yuki Tsunoda. After just ten races, he was replaced by Ricciardo, and De Vries quickly returned to Formula E with Mahindra Racing.

Reflecting on his departure, De Vries stated: “I was lucky that I had already built a career. Other drivers who have to leave Formula 1 early have nothing to fall back on. I had already driven in Formula E and WEC, so that made a comeback easier.”

Marko recently labelled signing Nyck de Vries as his "biggest mistake and said: "He had an incredible resume. But the stopwatch doesn't lie - he was clearly the wrong choice."

De Vries, however, defended himself, explaining the immense pressure he faced during his stint with AlphaTauri. The Dutchman revealed the difficult circumstances that contributed to his challenges in F1.

De Vries said: "You feel a double pressure. You feel external pressure from the media, but you are also tested internally by the team. Everything you do is put under a magnifying glass. You feel that people are writing and talking about you day and night. I just tried to ignore it, but you still feel that pressure.”

This overwhelming scrutiny, De Vries admitted, hindered his performance. “From the second weekend onwards, there was already talk of a change. That didn’t help me to perform well.” Stats show he competed in 11 Grand Prix races. Scoring only two points, the ones he claimed on his sensational F1 debut at Monza in 2022.