AlphaTauri confirms: De Vries kicked out of AlphaTauri after ten races
- Sam Godber
Nyck de Vries has lost his Formula 1 seat, AlphaTauri confirms. Daniel Ricciardo replaces him at the Italian racing team.
So Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko is once again implacable. If you do not perform in one of his four Red Bull cars, you are out. The same fate befell Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon, Daniil Kvyat and Brendon Hartley. Nyck de Vries' career within the Red Bull team was short-lived. The Dutchman was given only ten races to prove himself and has been replaced with immediate effect. As such, he will also miss his home Grand Prix at Zandvoort.
Daniel Ricciardo is back
Daniel Ricciardo may officially call himself a Formula 1 driver again from today, although those reports have not yet been officially confirmed. The good-humoured Australian has once again found a seat with the team he used to drive for, although back then the team was called Toro Rosso. The eight-time race winner had his most successful period at Red Bull, but made the switch to Renault after the rise of Max Verstappen.
After a reasonable period there, he sought refuge at McLaren, where he seemed to lose his speed and enjoyment of racing. Red Bull believes that in the six months, he was a test and reserve driver with the team, he has found his magic and speed again. It gives the Austrians a chance to learn more about their drivers. Is Yuki Tsunoda faster than the experienced Ricciardo? It could potentially be interesting, should Sergio Perez fail to regain his confidence at Red Bull.