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According to AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost, signing Nyck de Vries was an 'easy choice' following the Dutchman's brilliant debut in Monza, where he finished ninth.
De Vries subbed for Alex Albon at Williams in Monza and finished among the points in the first race of his career. That immediately made the Dutch driver an attractive option for many teams.
While announcing De Vries as an AlphaTauri driver for next season, Tost said that the Dutchman's Monza performance helped the team rope him in:
"This has been very influential as it showed his true potential. He drove a fantastic race and made no mistakes. So it was an easy choice to go for him. He is fast. I know what he has accomplished. I've seen him go karting in 2011 or 2012 and he was already very successful at that time. Actually in all categories where he has raced: Formula Renault, GP3, Formula 2 and also Formula E where he was world champion."
Talking about the outgoing Pierre Gasly, Tost was quite complimentary, saying:
"We are going to miss him very much. Pierre has done a lot for the team and made sure that we have taken a step forward. We have had a successful period with a win in Monza and podium finishes in Brazil and Baku. In addition, he has a good personality. He is very quick, professional and I can only thank him for his superior work with us. I wish him the best."
Talking to SkyF1 post his confirmation as an AlphaTauri driver for next season, De Vries himself admitted that the race in Monza played a huge role in him getting the seat. He said:
“Monza was obviously very helpful and definitely created a lot of momentum. The ‘silly season’ was already ongoing for quite some time and I think the timing of Monza was very fortunate – all the stars were aligned and everything came together and it brought us here.”
De Vries (2) is 21st in the standings ahead of the US GP in Austin this weekend.
Max Verstappen had a role to play in AlphaTauri's signing
Max Verstappen was asked whether he knew about new AlphaTauri signing Nyck de Vries and if he had a role to play in that.
The Dutch driver said that he did suggest his compatriot to give Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko a call after the race in Italy. Talking about the new AlphaTauri signing, Verstappen said:
“Of course, I knew this was coming. But of course this is incredible for him. He’s been pushing hard for it for a long time, and to finally get that opportunity is amazing for him. But also, I think after Monza there was no real discussion anymore. Helmut (Marko) is the guy, when he likes something, he is daring enough to then put him in the car whereas maybe other teams are a bit more careful."
He added:
“It’s great news. We are good friends as well. We had dinner the day after Monza, and I told him ‘just give him (Marko) a call, you never know what happens’. It was also the right time to call him, as Helmut is still probably excited on a Monday from the race on a Sunday, so it worked out really well. And I’m very happy for him.”
De Vries signing with AlphaTauri means there will now be two Dutch drivers in F1 next season, with two-time champion Verstappen being the other.
