Nyck de Vries has been sacked from AlphaTauri with immediate effect after not scoring a single point this year.
Sources with deep knowledge of the matter revealed that de Vries would not be racing for AlphaTauri in the Hungarian Grand Prix, putting an end to weeks of escalating rumors regarding his future following a disappointing start to the season.
De Vries who is the 2019 F2 champion has only achieved a best finish of 12th, which came in the Monaco Grand Prix, despite Red Bull boss Helmut Marko urging him to improve in recent weeks.
Marko has pulled the trigger and chosen to dismiss the former Mercedes reserve driver from his driving responsibilities after growing irritated with de Vries’ inability to improve the performances.
De Vries has come under more pressure as a result of Yuki Tsunoda’s success despite the limitations of the car, and renowned Dutch writer Allard Kalff revealed on Tuesday afternoon that De Vries’ tenure with AlphaTauri in Formula 1 was over.
“Breaking: Nyck de Vries out of Alpha Tauri as of ….. now,” Kalff shared a tweet.
There is still no information on who will take de Vries’ spot with Yuki Tsunoda, though Daniel Ricciardo has been strongly connected to a comeback to the grid. On Tuesday, July 11, Ricciardo will complete a tyre test for Pirelli at Silverstone while driving the Red Bull RB19.
With only two points in the constructors’ standings and team principal Franz Tost leaving at the end of 2023, AlphaTauri is a team in a mess.
There have been several replacements sought for Tost, whose position will be shared under a new administration and there will be additional changes for the team based in Faenza.
The Italian facility where they currently operate may soon become vacant as Red Bull plans to move the team—which will compete under an entirely new name in 2024—closer to Milton Keynes, where the current F1 champions have their headquarters.
AlphaTauri and Red Bull officially announced on Tuesday afternoon that Ricciardo would be joining the squad to partner Tsunoda beginning at the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 21–23.
