Red Bull have tried and tested multiple Formula 1 drivers over the last few years, but finding a consistent four for their stable has proven to be difficult.
Back in 2022 after Pierre Gasly announced that he would be leaving AlphaTauri join Alpine, they opted to sign an external candidate to replace him for the following season.
This driver had just one race of experience at the Italian Grand Prix that year as a stand-in for Williams driver and ex-Red Bull star Alex Albon.
After requiring appendicitis surgery, Nyck de Vries was called up for his Formula 1 debut, where he managed to score points in a car which finished last in the constructors’ championship.
By scoring two points that weekend (25% of the team’s total for the season), he put himself on Red Bull’s radar and beat Liam Lawson to a full-time drive for 2023.
He lasted just 10 races before being dropped for Daniel Ricciardo, with Christian Horner saying he was ‘never convinced, by signing De Vries.
Max Verstappen had ‘nice and encouraging’ words before Nyck de Vries’ F1 debut
Casting an eye back to his debut before he found himself on Red Bull’s radar, De Vries was chucked into Williams’ car on Saturday morning for FP3. He was a reserve for Mercedes, who were Williams’ engine supplier and their best option as a backup.
It was an entirely new machine for him and he was up to pace immediately, qualifying 13th but starting from eighth due to rival engine penalties.
His drive to ninth was impressive and he ended up less than four seconds shy of a podium finish on his debut.
READ MORE: Helmut Marko losing £8.5m-a-year driver was his ‘biggest mistake’ in F1 and not signing Nyck de Vries
De Vries has now revealed that fellow countryman Max Verstappen had some kind messages for him before he climbed into the cockpit.
“We [have known] each other since we were kids, so we were texting in the evening about it. On the grid, we saw each other again and he had nice and encouraging words,” he said.
“It was very special that it happened there. My father was actually in Monaco that weekend, so he drove on Saturday night to Monza with someone else’s car.”
What has Nyck de Vries been doing since leaving Formula 1?
De Vries was spotted doing a private McLaren run in France last November – the last sighting of him in a Formula 1 car.
He’s back in Formula E full-time now, a series which he was crowned champion of back in 2021 with Mercedes.
He finished sixth in the opening race of the 2024-25 season in Sao Paulo for Mahindra and now has 44% of the points he achieved across 16 races last year after just one event.
READ MORE: Daniel Ricciardo admits 28-year-old Formula 1 driver wasn’t up to scratch this season
Last year he also competed in the World Endurance Championship series, winning the 6 Hours of Imola race and coming second during the infamous 24 Hours of Le Mans.
It’s a shame that his AlphaTauri tenure didn’t turn out how he had hoped in 2023, but he did at least manage one of his dreams along the way.
