Scuderia AlphaTauri confirms de Vries for 2023

Nyck de Vries will join Scuderia AlphaTauri for the 2023 Formula 1 season in place of Pierre Gasly.

The Dutchman’s confirmation follows weeks of speculation linking him to the seat after an impressive Formula 1 debut at the Italian Grand Prix.

While that result owed much to fortune, which left him eighth on the grid, he nonetheless converted the opportunity into world championship points.

Ninth place in Italy equalled Williams’ best result of the season and saw de Vries comprehensively out-perform Nicholas Latifi despite his limited experience with the squad.

“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,” said de Vries.

“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.

“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.”

Scuderia AlphaTauri team boss, Franz Tost, added: “Scuderia AlphaTauri had a very successful time with Pierre [Gasly].

“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.

“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 [Tsunoda] and Nyck we will have a very strong driver lineup for 2023.”

De Vries’ junior career was supported by McLaren, winning the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 title in 2014 before finishing third in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series a year later.

He then graduated to the GP3 Series (now FIA Formula 3) where he finished sixth with two wins to his name in 2016.

Stepping into Formula 2 a year later, de Vries won in Monaco in a year that saw Charles Leclerc take the championship on debut.

Switching to ART for 2019, de Vries claimed four wins, five poles, and 12 podiums en route to his own title success.

However, a berth in Formula 1 did not materialise, and instead, he joined Formula E with Mercedes for the 2019-20 campaign.

He became Mercedes’ Test Driver for 2020, graduating to Reserve Driver a year later, having won the 2020-21 Formula E world championship.

Linked with a move to Williams for this season, he missed out on that opportunity as the squad opted for Alex Albon instead.

For a time it looked as though his Formula 1 hopes were dashed, a victim of career timing.

However, the collapse of the deal between Alpine and Williams which would have seen Oscar Piastri race for the latter next year offered him a lifeline.

When Albon fell ill with appendicitis in Italy, the 27-year-old was drafted in on Saturday morning, having completed Free Practice 1 duties for Aston Martin on Friday.

He escaped Qualifying 1 at his first attempt, while team-mate Latifi didn’t, going on to deliver points on debut, not setting a wheel wrong in the process.

That performance caught the eye of Red Bull, de Vries met with Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko in the days which followed that event.

The Austrian-based company was already keen to offload Gasly but was unable to without a suitable replacement.

Initially, that was set to be Colton Herta, though he did not receive the Super Licence exemption necessary for him to make the switch. With that deal dead in the water, de Vries’ drive in Monza was therefore well timed.

Red Bull duly snapped him up, confirming his role with the team in Suzuka, home to the team’s engine partner, Honda.

As it did, Alpine confirmed Gasly will join as replacement for Fernando Alonso.

2023 F1 driver contracts