For a long time it seemed that
Nyck de Vries was the main candidate for a seat at
Williams after winning titles in
Formula 2 and Formula E, also thanks to his Mercedes connection. De Vries drove for Mercedes in
Formula E and
Williams uses Mercedes engines. It was not to be and the choice fell to
Alexander Albon.
De Vries deserves an F1 seat
With the announcement of Williams' drivers for 2022, there are few chances left for De Vries to drive in
Formula 1 next season. Only Alfa Romeo still seems an option.
"I think he will make Toto Wolff happy if he can have him for another season in Formula E," Williams team principal Jost Capito told
Motorsportweek.com.
Nevertheless, Capito also has to acknowledge that the Dutchman deserves a spot in
Formula 1.
"There is no doubt about that. Only for us, when we have to balance between youth and experience, Alex has an advantage over Nyck. We finally have a good combination of youth and F1 experience."No Mercedes B-team
According to Capito, however, this does not mean that Nyck would have been a bad choice for Williams. "It doesn't mean that at all," agrees Capito. "And I think Toto also understands that we are not a Mercedes B-team. We are not a satellite team, we have to make the decisions that are good for us and he fully respects that."
What probably also helped with the choice of Albon is that
George Russell is said to have urged Capito to allow Albon to replace him should he leave the team. Thus reports
the official website of Formula 1. Capito would have been impressed by Albon when he got to know him better.