After four rejections in Formula 1, Nyck de Vries has always continued to believe in it
If Nyck de Vries made his appearance in Formula 1 during the Italian Grand Prix, he admits to not having seen it coming, even though he had always kept hopes of racing in the premier category.
After many rejections, Formula 1 seemed to be an unattainable goal for Nyck de Vries. However, he suddenly found himself behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car multiple times in 2022. As a result, he holds the record for the most teams a driver has been in action for: five different teams. In 2022, he will have raced for Mercedes, Aston Martin, Williams, Alpine, and AlphaTauri. The Dutch driver had admitted that he never gave up on the goal of reaching the pinnacle of motorsport. Even though he was content with his situation, he held onto the hope of one day being a part of Formula 1.
During the Italian Grand Prix, Nyck de Vries participated in the first free practice session on Friday, replacing Sebastian Vettel. The next day, he was called upon to replace Alexander Albon, who had appendicitis, for the rest of the weekend. He managed to qualify thirteenth in the qualifying session, and thanks to penalties received by several drivers, he started from eighth position on Sunday. Without making any mistakes on the track, he finished ninth in the race, scoring his first points in Formula 1 and earning the title of Driver of the Day.
During a conversation with DAY1, the driver notably declared:
It’s not that I had a lot of frustration, and that’s also why I was always able to do all of this with a lot of pleasure and motivation, because I was very happy with what I had.
However, this position is not the simplest. As a reserve driver, he is certainly present at every Grand Prix but is not systematically called upon to intervene. “You are so close and yet so far,” he continues. The Formula E champion admits to never giving up despite the waiting: “Deep down, I have always kept a certain faith, despite being rejected four times over the past year.”
After winning the Formula 2 championship, the driver couldn’t make it into Formula 1 as there were no spots left for him. Nevertheless, he remained in talks with several Formula 1 teams. He notably declared: « This little bit of hope was enough to keep the conviction and dynamism and not give up ».”
