Nyck de Vries’s Formula 1 career was cut short by the management at Red Bull. However, sources say that his career in Formula 1 is yet to end. Nyck de Vries apparently still has a link with the Red Bull team.
Nyck‘s career as a Formula 1 driver was cut short in a sort of brutal way. After just 10 races, he was replaced by a more experienced Daniel Ricciardo. The Dutch driver’s performance this season has not been great. He had not scored a single point so far in the season.
Most rookies that come into the sport, are not very experienced. Rookies are usually in their early 20s and would have just come out of Formula 2. However, Nyck de Vries does not come into this category. He won his Formula 2 Championship in 2019 and went on to race in Formula E where he won the Championship. He is currently 29 years old.
🚨 Nyck De Vries could be the reserve driver for Red Bull Racing at the 2023 Mexican Grand Prix
As per Aaron Deckers, Nyck De Vries is still a part of the Red Bull family unless he signs a new contract with another team
[@Racingnews365] #F1 pic.twitter.com/vPULPcnVmP
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) August 19, 2023
Given his experience, Red Bull expected him to start providing good results sooner rather than later. However, Nyck de Vries was not able to live up to these expectations. Hence he was soon replaced by Daniel Ricciardo.
A few days back, Nyck made an announcement that he was going to pursue his educational goals by taking a course at Harvard. However, his career in the sport may not be over yet. According to sources, Nyck de Vries is in contention for filling the role of reserve driver for Red Bull. Since de Vries has a lot of experience in racing, he is still valued by teams in Formula 1. Even if not as a driver, he could provide valuable inputs as a reserve driver.
Will Nyck de Vries sign with Red Bull?
During the 2022 Italian Grand Prix, Nyck de Vries gave an impressive Grand Prix debut where he scored points. This was one of the main reasons AlphaTauri decided to sign him for the 2023 season. However, he was not able to give similar types of performances. This may be because the AlphaTauri car did not suit his driving style.
There is no doubt that there will be a lot of teams that could use the talent and experience Nyck de Vries has. He previously was the reserve driver for Mercedes. He was also seen having a coffee with Toto Wolff soon after he was replaced in AlphaTauri. So there is a possibility that he could have a future either in Mercedes as a reserve driver or at Williams to replace Logan Sargeant whose future is still uncertain.
Toto Wolff affirms support for Nyck de Vries after AlphaTauri’s decision to drop him.
“I am a fan of Nyck because he is enormously intelligent and has always contributed a lot to the development of our car,” said Wolff.
“I do feel sorry for him. He called me Monday morning to… pic.twitter.com/4G6dGriYn4
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 26, 2023
Since he was replaced in a sudden manner at AlphaTauri, he may hesitate to sign with Red Bull as a reserve driver. He knows that the Williams car is more suitable to his driving style, and he has a positive history with Mercedes. So both of these options will be a safer option for him.
Let’s see what decision Nyck de Vries makes regarding his future. Will he go back to Red Bull, or will he make the decision to go to Williams or Mercedes where he has a positive history? Only time will tell.