Nyck de Vries talks about his F1 rejections: "Very close and at the same time, very far away"

2023 AlphaTauri rookie Nyck de Vries opened up about his F1 rejections, claiming he was very close to securing a seat in the sport in the past but lost out as he had other obligations outside the sport.

De Vries is set to partner up with Yuki Tsunoda at AlphaTauri in 2023, following Pierre Gasly's move to Alpine. The Dutchman managed to impress Red Bull scout Helmut Marko with his stellar performance in Monza in 2022, winning him a drive in the 2023 F1 season. The Formula E champion, however, claimed he had been close to securing a full-time seat in the sport in the past, but missed out due to a multitude of reasons.

Nyck de Vries told the Day1 YouTube channel:

"After I won Formula 2 [in 2019], there was no place for me in Formula 1 - that is kind of a rejection. In 2021, I won the Formula E championship and we were very close, but it didn't work out in the end."

The Dutchman concluded:

"During last season there were maybe two or three moments when there was serious talk about my future - and every time there had to be an answer, [it was no] because I had other obligations outside of F1."

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Dutch racing driver claims Nyck de Vries 'belongs' in F1

Dutch racing driver Tom Coronel believes that Nyck De Vries' glorious F1 debut at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix last weekend proves that the 27-year-old was "made to race". De Vries' debut in Monza won him a seat alongside Yuki Tsunoda at AlphaTauri this year.

Speaking to Viaplay, Coronel said:

“This guy was made to race. He has devoted his whole life to it. And he will continue to do so for the rest of his life. He already has very good deals in his pocket for next year. But I’m sure there’s an option in there that says, ‘if I get a Formula 1 seat…’”

He added:

"But you have to remember the 2018 Formula 2 Championship. George Russell was champion, Lando Norris was second, Alexander Albon third, and De Vries fourth. In the last few races, he had engine problems. Otherwise, he would have easily finished second in that championship. Nyck just belongs in Formula 1.”

De Vries' performance in Monza has been lauded by the F1 community, including drivers such as Max Verstappen and team principals such as Toto Wolff. Wolff said about the Formula E champion:

"He’s not only fast and has shown that in the junior categories, but he is also intelligent and a good team player, that is why he deserved it here. I don’t think that anyone else could have possibly done a better job in what he did."

While Nyck de Vries has certainly been extremely successful in other forms of racing, he will still have to prove his mettle in F1 this year. Fans of the Dutchman are hoping for more stellar drives from the 2020/2021 Formula E champion in 2023.