Franz Tost is putting pressure on Nyck de Vries for 2023

After, last year, having participated in an F1 race with Williams during the Italian Grand Prix, the Dutchman managed to make an impression by scoring his first points in a car that lacked performance.

Nyck de Vries is getting ready to compete in his first full season with AlphaTauri, as the red adorned AT04 has just been unveiled. On this occasion, his boss, Franz Tost, assesses the potential of his new recruit.

« Nyck only participated in one Formula 1 race last year at Monza, where he delivered a fantastic performance. However, he has a great racing experience, winning races and championships in many categories he has competed in. Therefore, I am confident that he will be able to deliver good results and finish in the points. »

In addition to the points, Tost expects De Vries to meet the development requirements throughout a complete campaign.

« Nyck is technically very competent and focused. At the wheel of our car during the Abu Dhabi young drivers’ test at the end of last season, he already provided good technical feedback to the engineers.

I think he will immediately understand the new car. He will quickly familiarize himself with the car and his feedback will be valuable because, as I have already mentioned, he understands the technical challenges presented by Formula 1 cars. I believe he is one of the most skilled drivers in terms of technical understanding of the car.

On his side, Nyck de Vries, who was cleared in a legal battle with a real estate tycoon, has already experienced many championships before achieving his dream, Formula 1. He does not hide his enthusiasm at the idea of making his full-time debut with the team based in Faenza.

First of all, to have the opportunity to live my dream, but also to be very excited and motivated to perform and deliver.

I think that partly because my journey has been a bit unusual and longer, I am even more grateful for this opportunity, more motivated to seize it, and more eager to show what I am capable of.

I would say that I am still a beginner. Of course, I have had the privilege of driving many different cars, but I think the advantages don’t just come down to track time, as it was actually very limited.

“I think that having the experience of working with different teams in different environments will bring a lot of value, but in terms of track time and pure racing, I believe I have less than the other rookies [Oscar Piastri from McLaren, 21, and Williams’ Logan Sargeant, 22].”

However, I am a little older and I have had the opportunity to compete in different championships, so it is a level of experience that brings a certain value.