In the span of a week, Nyck de Vries has gone from having a seat in F1, to being dropped in place of fan favorite and eight-time race winner Daniel Ricciardo. It is just further evidence of how brutal the championship can be, and now the Dutchman has become the latest in a long list of drivers that have been swallowed up and chewed back out by the Red Bull program in motorsport.
Although the 27-year-old had a challenging start to his first full-time F1 season and there were rumors his seat was under threat, not many expected it to be so sudden and in the middle of the European season. Before the sudden driver change, de Vries spoke with Sports Illustrated at the British Grand Prix about his F1 experience so far, how he has been dealing with the intense media pressure and why he won’t be swapping four wheels for two any time soon.
If you looked at de Vries’ racing resume, you’d expect he would’ve made it into F1 sooner than 27 years old. With several big and respected championship wins under his belt, including FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula E, de Vries finally got his go racing in the “pinnacle of motorsport” last season.
The Dutchman was drafted in as a replacement for Alexander Albon at Williams Racing, in a very last-minute call, after Albon came down with appendicitis in Monza, Italy. Jumping behind the wheel and steering his car to points made de Vries F1’s hottest property, and he was quickly snapped up by AlphaTauri for a full-time seat in 2023.
Editor’s note: This interview took place at the British Grand Prix, before de Vries lost his seat on July 11. The following has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
Sports Illustrated: This is your first full-season in F1. How have you been finding it?
Nyck de Vries: It’s the pinnacle of our sport, and it’s what we’ve all been dreaming of our whole lives. When you’re here, you want to make the most of it. We’re competing, it’s a sport, and we want to do well. So far this season, I will be very honest, I’m not fully satisfied with my own performance. I think I've shown good things at some times, but haven’t been able to put the pieces together. We’re also lacking a little bit of competitiveness, which doesn’t make it easier. From 11th to 20th is super tight and a little difference makes a huge difference. I don’t think that’s always appreciated enough. We haven’t seen any season where it was that close and competitive because there’s no real backmarker team anymore. That’s why we continue to keep grinding and do the best possible job we can.
SI: What have you done personally to try to improve? Do you need to change your driving style for these kinds of cars, or is it the same every weekend?
NdV: The approach has been very similar from the start of the season. I don’t think there's a lack of commitment at all. In fact, sometimes the opposite, because when you want something so badly, you almost overdo things. Nothing has been different. We are just continuing the job we do, and I believe in the team. It’s more a matter of time for things to come together.
SI: Do you think some fans or the media are too impatient to expect immediate results?
NdV: That's out of my control. In this world, there will always be an opinion, and you’re always judged on your last performance. In F1, the wind direction changes very quickly, literally every hour. Someone can see or write something different, so I can’t let my personal emotions be controlled by the outside opinion because that would be very unhealthy: that would mean I’d be riding a roller coaster 24/7.
SI: Have you taken any steps to block out more of the outside world now you’re in F1?
NdV: Yes. I’ve not been reading anything anymore. Sometimes it’s a little bit weird, because I have a lot of passion for our sport. And I also love following other series and categories, but it’s hard to to avoid F1 when reading about other series. As a consequence, I’m not up to date with everything. But actually it’s really a bit irrelevant anyway, because every hour someone sees and has to write something. It’s not relevant to me.
Courtesy of Red Bull Content Pool
SI: Rewinding back to your debut in Monza last September. You had never raced in F1, and suddenly got the call up to take part in qualifying and the Italian Grand Prix after a driver was taken ill. I read that you were chilling in hospitality, drinking a coffee, when you got the news that you were driving that weekend?
NdV: Yeah, I was in the Paddock Club for an appearance in the morning. Then I was called, obviously came down and went down to Williams. The whole weekend, or at least from when I received the call, it felt like the stars were very much aligned. For some reason, everything just worked out. All the great penalties, which were taken for power unit or gearbox changes, put me in a good starting position in eighth. The Williams was always strong that weekend, it had very good straight line speed, so things came together and resulted in the weekend we had.
SI: You joined a very exclusive club by achieving points on your debut. How busy was your phone after that weekend? You completed a test with another team, Alpine, and were then announced as joining AlphaTauri in a permanent role for 2023. What other teams reached out to you?
NdV: We were in touch with several teams before the Italian Grand Prix anyway. In 2021, when I won the Formula E championship, through that winter, we didn't get an opportunity. But when F1 introduced this rule that rookies had to do a few practice sessions on a Friday, that worked in my favor. You stay around the system and environment and you try to do everything you can to maximize every potential opportunity; at the end of the day, it’s everyone’s dream.
You don’t want to miss out on anything. It was a great experience. But equally, that’s basically how the world works. When you win, you have friends, when you lose, you don’t have friends pretty much. That’s why I’m not really reading and buying into the emotions and the hypes both ways, because they are very short sighted.
SI: Have you got a lot of old school friends or family who are supportive?
NdV: Oh, definitely. Family is always unconditional, and I have very good friends at home, but also in Monaco. So I feel very well supported and I know I’m giving my best. So that's all I can do.
SI: We’re in the Red Bull Energy Station right now. Around us are videos and photos of Red Bull athletes doing all these wild activities, from cliff diving to soapbox racing. Is there anything wacky you would try?
NdV: I’m definitely glad to be on four wheels and on the ground when I am in F1. I love skiing, but I don't do it anymore. I would have the time in the winter but also I don’t want to risk anything! Moto GP, but two wheels? I’m not too sure. I just love to be present and visit different sports because I really enjoy watching live sports.
