F1 teams shouldn't overlook FE drivers despite De Vries' quick sacking

Coming as a shock to many, it was recently announced that Nyck De Vries' services would no longer be required at the Scuderia AlphaTauri team, with Red Bull's management opting to bring in experienced Australian Daniel Ricciardo instead. Where could the Dutch driver go from here, and what does this mean for wider racing series beyond Formula 1?

What’s happened?

Eyes lit up in the world of F1 when it was announced that Nyck de Vries would deputise for the unwell Alex Albon at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix. Being a highly rated driver, many were eager to see how the 2019 F2 Champion and 2020-2021 Formula E World Champion would fare in the elite machinery of F1 in a one-shot attempt, and boy, did he impress. Coming home to finish ninth in a race while teammate Nicholas Latifi finished in 15th, the interim driver had a solid showing, putting on a fantastic defensive display. This led Red Bull senior figure Helmut Marko to quickly enter negotiations with the Dutchman (after attempts to bring in Colton Herta failed) to fill the seat made vacant by Pierre Gasly. Soon, with much excitement, it was confirmed that Nyck De Vries would line up alongside Yuki Tsunoda for the 2023 F1 season.

However, things have not fared well for De Vries since then. Being thoroughly bested by young teammate Tsunoda, with zero points to his name and only finishing in front of his teammate on two race weekends, things were not looking well for the Dutchman. Although there were some gradual signs of improvement, Red Bull’s management have taken the bold decision to pull the plug on the project, choosing to draft in Australian reserve driver Ricciardo to see out the season after an impressive tyre test with the senior team.

Where can he go?

The World Endurance Championship (WEC) remains an enticing option. With a highly competitive Hypercar class (as Ferrari, Porsche, Alpine, Toyota, BMW, Peugeot and BMW all confirmed for 2024), options could spring up at one of the top seats so as to gain the coveted title of outright victory at Le Mans.

A return to Formula E could also be on the cards. After all, he is a proven race and championship winner in the series and can produce the “clutch” performances necessary for success. However, patience may need to be exercised, as most of the high-performing team’s seats seem to be under stable driver partnerships at the moment.

There is no doubt that Nyck De Vries is a driver of a very good calibre and would fit in with most top-flight racing series, evidenced by the fact that he has played a significant role in both WEC and Formula E. It’s simply now a matter of a team giving him trust and for him to rebuild his confidence in his abilities.

What does this mean?

Unfortunately (and inevitably), this will be a damning review of the Formula E championship. He remains the most significant example of a driver making a move from the all-electric series to F1, and his arguable failure at the very highest level may have teams thinking twice about making a move for a Formula E driver. Fans, undoubtedly, will make the same conclusion.

However, this should not be entirely the case. Formula E remains an elite World Championship racing series. The cognitive load experienced by drivers is arguably as high for the Formula E drivers, as they must actively consider an energy regeneration constraint to finish the race while still racing their rivals wheel to wheel. It also tests the drivers through some of the most challenging racing conditions, with incredibly tight and dusty circuits navigated by heavy cars on (almost) passenger spec tyres.

If Formula One is to overlook an entire racing series and its potential talents based on a poor performance by one driver, then the very best series is to miss out on potential growth in quality and competitiveness.