AlphaTauri have announced that Dutch driver Nyck de Vries will join the team from 2023, following the news that incumbent driver Pierre Gasly will be moving to Alpine to partner Esteban Ocon next season.
De Vries has enjoyed FP1 outings for Mercedes, Aston Martin and Williams in 2022, giving him plenty of mileage in the new generation of Formula 1 machinery.
But with an unwell Alex Albon ruled out of the Italian Grand Prix back in September, 27-year-old De Vries was parachuted in at Williams in the Thai driver’s place, impressing the paddock with a mature drive to P9 on his maiden outing – with AlphaTauri then wasting little time in obtaining the signature of the 2019 Formula 2 champion once it became clear that Gasly was keen to move on to new pastures.
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Speaking of stepping up to a full-time F1 race seat for the first time next season with AlphaTauri, De Vries said: “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 fulfil it. 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.
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“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.”
Speaking of his new signing, meanwhile, AlphaTauri Team Principal Franz Tost added: “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.
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“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. His last big success was winning the Formula E World Championship, and this is clear evidence that he is a very competitive driver, who deserves a seat in F1.
“I am looking forward to seeing him in our car and I’m confident that with Yuki and Nyck we will have a very strong driver line up for 2023.”
