Mercedes has shown interest in the recently fired Nyck de Vries of AlphaTauri in case the driver is willing to take up his prior position as a simulator driver. After working for Mercedes for three years, De Vries left Mercedes to join AlphaTauri in search of a long-term seat in Formula 1. Nevertheless, his time with the Italian team was short-lived due to a string of poor performances, and he was dismissed soon after the British Grand Prix.
The trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin had an interaction with the reporters about de Vries and stated, “I think Nyck will be looking for more than just to become a simulator driver. So he’ll want to be doing racing.” Shovlin said Nyck possesses an impressive track record, having won the F2 and the Formula E championship, a challenging series to conquer.
Franz tost on mick schumacher:
— Xava🇿🇦 (@XavaBlue) June 9, 2023
“He is significantly better than he is currently perceived in the outside world. We now have Nyck de Vries and there’s really nothing more to discuss.” pic.twitter.com/d6XoIHNnyz
The Dutchman resurfaced after an interval right before the Formula 1 race in Budapest. He announced on Instagram that he will be taking some time off over the summer to reflect on his next action. De Vries, however, appreciated Red Bull and Scuderia AlphaTauri for allowing him the chance to seek his dream while at the same time expressing his dismay that his F1 career ended prematurely.
Will Mick Schumacher leave Mercedes?
Mick Schumacher faced criticism from Guenther Steiner for several costly crashes during the 2022 season as his crashes cost the Haas team about $3 million. Toto Wolff, though, believes that Schumacher’s struggles were spurred on by the unfavorable atmosphere at Haas and is confident that he would perform better for his subsequent team.
The German driver’s chances of landing a full-time position on the grid in 2024, however, appear bleak given the shortage of spots. Given that Lewis Hamilton is about to sign his own contract extension and that George Russell has extended him, it is doubtful that he will be promoted within Mercedes.
Toto Wolff and Nyck De Vries seen in Monaco today đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/pc4LlwCgO9
— Mercedes-AMG F1 News (@MercedesNewsUK) July 12, 2023
De Vries was spotted with Toto Wolff at a Monaco cafe right after his departure AlphaTauri, which raised the likelihood of a comeback for Mercedes. Mick Schumacher has been much involved in simulator development in 2023 and currently plays the role of Mercedes’ reserve driver.
Nyck de Vries faces a significant challenge due to his lack of major sponsors, the Dutch market being saturated by Max Verstappen’s success and also lacking strong financial backing. As a result, he has to win on the racecourse, a challenge he faced in his previous ten races. However, the chances of Wolff assisting De Vries in obtaining a race seat may be slim.