Despite having no plans to start FP1 during the 2022 season, Nick de Vries has already fitted AlphaTauri’s seats at the factory in Faenza, Italy.
Ideally, he would like to use his youth quota to gain experience in FP1 before he makes his debut next season as Yuki Tsunoda’s teammate, but team principal Franz Tost has ruled that out at Suzuka. .
seat fit time for @nyckdevries ???? welcome to Faenza! ???????? pic.twitter.com/pCHGSJNQmH
— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) October 14, 2022
“I don’t think so as he is still under contract with another team (Mercedes). Hopefully we will see him at the young drivers test in Abu Dhabi,” explained Tost.
“There are currently no plans to run Nick in FP1 and I think we will have Liam Lawson running in FP1 in the US or Mexico.”
So while the seat fitting is believed to be in anticipation of post-season testing at the Yas Marina circuit, Dutch reports suggest De Vries might return to FP1 this season. It is said that there is
However, it is not AlphaTauri, but Mercedes, whose contract is still valid. He is reportedly expected to drive the W13 once more in FP1 at the Mexican Grand Prix, replacing George Russell.
Silver Arrow has not yet used up its rookie slot, which is required to be used at least twice during the season, and will have to give the youngster a chance to run in one of the weekends of practice following the US Grand Prix.
Mercedes currently has six junior drivers, including Frédéric Vesti, who is competing in the FIA-F2 championship, but it seems that none of them are worthy of running in FP1.
When asked why he chose De Vries to replace Pierre Gasly, Tost simply said: “Because he’s fast.”
“I think in 2010 and 2011 he won the European and World Championships in karting and he was successful with that.”
“He’s won in every category he’s competed in, Formula Renault, GP3, Formula 2 and the Formula E World Championship.
Tost also acknowledged that his performance in the Italian Grand Prix, where he scored in his debut race, “played a big role” in the process of signing the contract, but he did not seek the opinion of Max Verstappen, who is from the same country as De Vries. explained.
“He had a great race and didn’t make any mistakes, so it was an easy decision to get him.”
Sure, De Vries is ‘fast’, but that’s not the only factor that makes him attractive for AlphaTauri.
In addition to being a Formula E champion, this year he has driven the latest generation F1 machines for three teams: Aston Martin, Mercedes and Williams, and has a wealth of simulator experience.
