AlphaTauri boss expects Nyck de Vries to hit the ground running immediately

AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost believes new driver Nyck de Vries will be able to adapt to Formula 1 relatively quickly because of his experience in racing.

De Vries, the 2020-21 Formula E world champion, will drive in Formula 1 for the first time as a permanent driver in 2023. His performance in the 2022 Italian GP impressed many across the grid, with Scuderia AlphaTauri completing a move for the Dutchman after Pierre Gasly's departure.

Tost expects De Vries to perform really well from the very start of the season, given his experience in racing.

Autosport.com quoted him as saying:

"Nyck de Vries is doing a really good job. He is very experienced, you can see and feel that he is 28 years old, and that he won a lot of races and championships. And I think that he will be able to adapt to F1 immediately. I expect him to perform well from the first qualifying onwards."

De Vries had an exceptional race at last year's Italian Grand Prix, where he drove for Williams as Alex Albon's replacement. He was able to finish P8, an impressive achievement given that it was his first race in Formula 1.

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De Vries' complains about the car during testing are beneficial for AlphaTauri, says Tost

The pre-season testing for the upcoming F1 season was held at the Bahrain International Circuit. While the testing seems to have gone well for AlphaTauri, who didn't have many issues with the car in terms of reliability, De Vries was not satisfied time with the car.

Franz Tost revealed that the Dutchman complained a lot about the car during testing, adding that it was good for the team as it served as a "wake-up call" for the engineers. He also said that the technical input he provided the team with was beneficial.

"Of course, always when a new driver is coming, if it's not a young driver coming from a lower series, he brings in some input, some technical ideas. And with Nyck we were lucky that last year he was in contact with many teams and many cars."

"And I think that our engineers got good technical feedback from his side, especially after the Abu Dhabi test where he did a lot of laps, and where he, fortunately, complained a lot about the car. Because this was a wake-up call for the engineers."

Tost hopes that the team can provide De Vries with a car of his liking so that he and teammate Yuki Tsunoda can help push the team further up the grid. AlphaTauri finished ninth in the 2022 constructor's standings, ahead of only Williams.