02 March 2023 , 20:54
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Nyck de Vries courted interest from many different Formula 1 teams, but opted for AlphaTauri because "the best option is always the most obvious".
The Dutchman suddenly found himself in demand after a surprise F1 debut at last season's Italian Grand Prix. Subbing in at short notice for Alex Albon, missing due to appendicitis, De Vries finally had the opportunity for which he had been patiently waiting for years.
It's safe to say he grabbed it with both hands. Behind the wheel of the least competitive car on the grid, the Formula 2 and Formula E champion matched the best result Williams managed all season and, suddenly, his phone was lighting up.
Several teams were yet to decide who was going to race for them in 2023 at that point, and De Vries was suddenly hot property. It was the opportunity he had been waiting for ever since he was overlooked by that same Williams team the previous year.
"In Formula 1, you're never in such a luxury position that you're actually picking and choosing!" De Vries, 28, told Mirror Sport with a chuckle. "But there have certainly been many conversations with other teams as well.
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"It's not such a matter as you have a job interview, a chat and you move on – the Formula 1 paddock is very dynamic and things change quickly. Frankly, I've been part of this carousel since 2021, when we won Formula E and there were discussions with Williams. When that didn't happen, future conversations for 2023 instantly started.
A successful F1 debut last year with Williams saw De Vries' stock rise rapidly (Getty Images)"So yes, there have been multiple conversations with different teams." Williams were looking for someone to partner Albon for this year, while Alpine also considered the Dutchman after Fernando Alonso jumped ship to Aston Martin and Oscar Piastri turned down a promotion, having already signed with McLaren.
In the end, they signed Pierre Gasly and that left the space at AlphaTauri for De Vries to fill. The Red Bull group had already made it clear that they would not allow the Frenchman to leave until they found an "exciting" replacement, and the man who had just stolen the show on debut at Monza fitted the bill.
After conversations with Helmut Marko, it became clear to De Vries that this was the path he wanted to take. He added: "The best option is always the most obvious, and comes together with time. All the puzzle pieces came together – it was not so much a sole choice for me. Pierre was here and Alpine was interested in him. We had conversations with [Alpine] as well because I did a test with them, but [AlphaTauri] just worked out best."