What awaits Nick de Vries in 2023 – four options

Nick de Vries became Formula 2 champion three years ago and won the Formula E title in 2021, which certainly speaks to both the talent and high level of craftsmanship of the 27-year-old Dutchman. However, it wasn’t until his surprise debut with the Williams in September, when he finished ninth at Monza and earned some very important points for the Grove team, that his real chances of making it to Formula 1 became a reality.

And suddenly it turned out that De Vries is one of the most wanted racers, and in 2023 he could theoretically be part of Williams, Alpine or AlphaTauri. According to him, the decision does not depend on him, but negotiations are underway with all these teams. But whose uniform will Nick eventually fit?

Option 1: Williams

Jost Capito does not hide that Nick made a big impression on him in Italy, although negotiations with him have been going on for a long time. The excitement of the team director from Grove is understandable: de Vries was only told on Saturday morning that he would replace the suddenly ill Alex Albon. He got used to driving an unfamiliar car fantastically quickly, immediately found a common language with Williams engineers and was easily ahead of Nicholas Latifi.

Williams confirmed yesterday that they will complete their partnership with the Canadian this year, but it is not yet clear who will take over this vacancy and become Albon’s new partner, although it is quite logical to assume that it is De Vries.

Of all three teams, Williams is showing the least convincing results, but is doing well with funding and showing slow but noticeable progress. Two good drivers are better than one, and in combination with Elbon de Vries they could contribute well to the further development of the team, especially as Williams engineers have already been able to evaluate his technical background.

In a week in Singapore, Nick may have another chance to show what he is capable of: if Albon fails to fully recover from the surgery and the complications that come with it, De Vries can replace him again.

Option 2: Alpine

Testing last year’s Alpine car in Hungary this week, De Vries certainly wouldn’t mind signing with the 4th-placed team in the Constructors’ Championship.

Alpine is looking for a driver who could become Esteban Ocon’s new partner in 2023, as Fernando Alonso decided to move to Aston Martin and Oscar Piastri was lured to McLaren, even though the Renault works team was counting on the Australian.

Judging by the results, Alpine appears to be the most attractive option, as Okon and Alonso have sometimes managed to get ahead of one of the rivals who played for Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes. In any case, the A522 car allows you to regularly fight for points.

But there are several candidates for a spot at Alpine, including Pierre Gasly, who could be released from his obligations to AlphaTauri if a suitable replacement is found.

Option 3: Alpha Tauri

Initially, Red Bull assumed that they could obtain a super license for Colton Herta, but they failed to do so and now they have turned their attention to de Vries.

Once in Italy he has successfully settled the case behind the wheel of Williams, then in AlphaTauri they will most likely be able to offer him a faster car, and Nick will then be able to earn points on a regular basis. They say that if necessary, Red Bull Racing is even willing to entrust him with driving one of their cars – if for some reason Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez cannot get to the start.

Moreover, by comparing Yuki Tsunoda’s results with the work of de Vries, AlphaTauri can more accurately estimate the potential of the Japanese rider, who has not been very stable so far.

Option 4: Formula E and endurance racing

Since it seemed until recently that De Vries’ chances of getting into Formula 1 were not that great, he looked for opportunities to continue his career in other series, one of which is Formula E, where he has been successful. drove for the Mercedes works team.

In the summer, we said that the new Maserati team, which is being created on the basis of Venturi, is interested in his services, and that they don’t mind Nick combining his achievements in the World Electric Car Racing Championship with working with Toyota in the WEC.

On the one hand, this is also quite an attractive option, but Nick is only 27 years old, so for now it makes sense to do everything possible to try to sign a contract with one of the Formula 1 teams mentioned. do not mind.