After the Silverstone Grand Prix, Nyck de Vries took a big hit on his Formula 1 career. After consecutively poor performances, Nyck de Vries had been fired. The rumors of Daniel Ricciardo replacing Sergio Perez had turned into him replacing Nyck at AlphaTauri. Sergio was not worried about his seat at Red Bull. On the other hand, Helmut made it clear he was only staying because of his points.
Nyck de Vries had not been heard from after his departure. It was a “harsh and brutal” exit from Formula 1 according to Sebastian Vettel. Although he was spotted with his ex-boss and Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff. Nyck soon took to Instagram to talk about his exit and express how he felt. Daniel Ricciardo on the other hand received a welcome from AlphaTauri.
A very wholesome welcome back for Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri 😁pic.twitter.com/mErzzoDqkk
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) July 14, 2023
Ricciardo had been working in the simulator for Red Bull and had given tire tests after the Silverstone Grand Prix. Nyck de Vries after managing a P12 as his personal best this season had soon been informed to say his goodbyes. Although Daniel Ricciardo had replaced Nyck, he understood the rejection pretty well.
Daniel Ricciardo sympathizes with Nyck de Vries after replacing him
Although Daniel Ricciardo replaced Nyck at AlphaTauri, he seemed to have resonated with Nyck being rejected. After his 2022 season with McLaren, Ricciardo had been left without a seat for 2023. He had contacted Horner right after which had got him an opportunity to be the third driver for Red Bull.
He told the De Telegraaf, “A year ago I didn’t think I would still be driving a Formula 1 car and now I’m here. It’s about how you deal with setbacks and how you come out of it. I wish Nyck the best and if I ever see him on the Formula 1 grid again I would be delighted.”
“I know how quickly things can change.”
After his move to Renault, Daniel Ricciardo seemed to have struggled entirely with his performance. Although he was able to win a few races with McLaren, it was still not the same as his time in Red Bull. After his decision to leave McLaren, he was left with no offers. Ricciardo opened up about how he had no idea if he would drive in Formula 1 again until Christian Horner helped him.
After his move to Red Bull as a third, reserve and test driver, he said he was completely prepared and ready to take over if anything happened to Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez. The AlphaTauri car has a few limitations while they struggle to finish in front of the grid.
Even then Daniel Ricciardo is seemingly happy with his new spot while he also sympathizes with Nyck’s leave. After 6 months of not having a seat, Daniel Ricciardo will be driving for AlphaTauri alongside his teammate Yuki Tsunoda.