Early F1 exit for De Vries: what are other options for the Dutchman?
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It was announced on Tuesday that Nyck de Vries will be pushed aside by Helmut Marko at AlphaTauri after only ten races. The Dutchman performed disappointingly and will be replaced by Daniel Ricciardo as early as next race weekend in Hungary. What are De Vries' options outside F1?
Return to Formula E?
Before De Vries entered Formula 1, the Dutchman was active in Formula E, where the 28-year-old driver became world champion once, in 2021 with Mercedes. In 2023, it seemed that De Vries would continue in the electric class for Maserati's team, until the Dutch driver moved to AlphaTauri's F1 team.
The current FE season has only four races left and the next season starts in early January 2024. The Race reports that the sacked F1 driver is most likely to join the Formula E teams of Maserati and Nissan. With the latter, it will depend on whether Norman Nato's contract is not renewed. Should this not happen, a spot will become available here. At Maserati, the chances seem slimmer. Edoardo Mortara still has a contract for next year, Maximilian Gunther's contract does expire, but Gunther scored the most points and took the first victory for Maserati, making it likely that his contract will be extended.
The team De Vries previously competed for in the class, Mercedes, no longer exists and is now McLaren. For McLaren 's FE team, Jake Hughes and Rene Rast are now driving and both of them do not yet seem to have contracts for next year.
De Vries to WEC?
Another option for De Vries would be the World Endurance Championship (WEC). Even before the Dutchman signed his contract with AlphaTauri, he was linked with Toyota's WEC team. Earlier, the 28-year-old driver expressed his desire to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is part of the WEC season. De Vries has competed in the famous long-distance race several times before with Racing Team Netherlands in the LMP2 class, but never managed to win it.
Options in F1
Options for a permanent seat in Formula 1 seem very limited after De Vries was sacked from AlphaTauri. However, the Dutchman could perhaps fill a role as a reserve driver in the king class. Previously, the Formula E champion fulfilled this role for Mercedes' team and coincidentally, De Vries and Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff were spotted together in Monaco on Wednesday, the day after the dismissal.