Former Formula E and Formula 2 champion Nyck de Vries is set to make his F1 debut in 2023 with AlphaTauri. Prior to the start of the Japanese Grand Prix qualifying, the Italian team announced his arrival.
After the announcement, Scuderia's Team Principal, Franz Tost, told the media,
"Now, we are pleased to start a new chapter with Nyck, who’s very much welcome at Scuderia AlphaTauri. He is a very high skilled driver, as he won in all the categories he competed in, with many races and championships under his belt. His last big success was winning the Formula E World Championship, and this is clear evidence that he is a very competitive driver, who deserves a seat in F1."
Nyck de Vries won the F2 championship in 2019 but never really got a realistic opportunity to make his debut in F1. He then took a different route, participating in other series and claiming world titles too.
Nyck De Vries also acted in reserve driver roles for Mercedes and Aston Martin before his sensational drive for Williams at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix. The Dutch driver even managed to earn points on his debut in F1.
Tost even confirmed that the 27-year-old's debut definitely played an important role in his selection. Twitter fans, however, had a mixed response to his signing and made some funny remarks about the 2023 AlphaTauri driver line-up.
Twitter gave a funny response to Nyck De Vries's announcement as an F1 driver
Pierre Gasly announced at Alpine F1 after De Vries selection was declared
After Nyck De Vries was finalized at AlphaTauri, Red Bull agreed to the terms and released Pierre Gasly to Alpine. The Frenchman has signed a multi-year deal and will partner with Esteban Ocon for their 2023 campaign.
Gasly was ecstatic with his new contract and told formula1.com,
““It’s exciting to do it with a French team and a special story with Alpine. I won my first European Championship [Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0] with [Renault, the group of which Alpine is part] in 2013. It felt like the right thing to do at this time in my career. Seeing the evolution and development over the last few years, the team getting their first win [as Alpine] in Budapest [last year] and seeing the progress season after season, it feels right. It feels like the right step to match my ambitions and targets. I’m very excited about it.”
Pierre Gasly will part ways with the Red Bull family after nine whole years. He has spent a big chunk of his junior career in their development program.