Nyck de Vries has finally landed a Formula One seat.
With Pierre Gasly departing the Red Bull family for Alpine in 2023 on a “multi-year” deal, the Dutchman will join AlphaTauri next season and compete alongside Yuki Tsunoda.
“I’m extremely excited to be joining Scuderia AlphaTauri for 2023, and I want to thank both Red Bull and the team for giving me the opportunity to drive in F1. After Formula 2, I took a slightly different path with motorsport, but F1 has always been my dream and I’m grateful to be able to [sic] fulfill it,” de Vries said in a statement. “I’ve had a lot of chances to experience the 2022 car this year and I think that has put me in a great position for the upcoming season, I hope this has helped to prepare me for what is to come.
“Having spent most of my teenage years in Italy for karting, I’ve always felt at home there, so for me it’s great to be joining an Italian team, that already has a real family feel, and I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and to start to build our relationship before the next season.”
Red Bull welcomed de Vries to the family on Twitter, adding, “That’s two Dutch champions on the grid next year.”
He made his F1 race debut at the Italian Grand Prix after Alex Albon was diagnosed with appendicitis, and he knocked it out of the park, bringing home two points. The Dutchman had been in talks with Alpine and Williams as well, he recently confirmed.
“Scuderia AlphaTauri had a very successful time with Pierre. We will never forget his fantastic victory in Monza and his podium finishes in Brazil and Azerbaijan. I want to thank Pierre for all the effort he’s put into the team in the last years, and I wish him all the best for his future,” team boss Franz Tost said in a statement. He continued, “Now, we are pleased to start a new chapter with Nyck, who’s very much welcome at Scuderia AlphaTauri. He is a very high skilled driver, as he won in all the categories he competed in, with many races and championships under his belt.”
Mercedes-AMG Petronas also tweeted its congratulations for de Vries—he previously served as the team’s reserve driver.
De Vries joins the F1 grid with titles already under his belt in other series: 2020-21 FIA Formula E World Champion, ’19 FIA Formula Two Champion as well as the ’10 and ’11 Karting World Champion.
