De Vries left huge impression on Williams and Mercedes

Nyck de Vries has left a good impression at Williams and Mercedes. However, the Dutchman will race for AlphaTauri in 2023 and the two teams are a bit bummed about that.

De Vries finally has a permanent seat in F1 in 2023. At AlphaTauri, he can spend a season in action, after a Formula 2 and Formula E title initially seemed not enough to force a promotion. Now that deal is in place and De Vries gets to show alongside Tsunoda whether he also deserves a long future in F1.

De Vries makes an impression

De Vries was already on AlphaTauri's radar, but the performance in Italy did kick everything into gear. Until then, De Vries seemed the ideal successor to Nicholas Latifi at Williams and after his points at Monza, that deal seemed a matter of time. Indeed, at Williams, they were keen on Nyck.

According to Dave Robson, Williams' Head of Vehicle Performance. Motorsport-total.com that the Grove-based team was particularly impressed at what short notice he was able to deliver such a good performance. On Friday, De Vries was still in an Aston Martin, where he beat Latifi in the Williams on Saturday and Sunday.

Williams must look further afield

Mike Elliot, Mercedes' technical director, shares that view. Elliot does say he is annoyed that De Vries is now moving to Red Bull, but is genuinely happy that the Dutchman is finally getting a chance in F1. Elliot had already noticed during De Vries' free practice for Mercedes in France how stable De Vries is. He does not make mistakes like rookies normally do.

Williams must now look for another replacement for Latifi, but reportedly already has a good replacement in mind with Logan Sargeant. The American is fourth in the F2 championship but still needs to be in the top five after the last GP in Abu Dhabi to be sure of a super licence. Williams will therefore have to be patient for a while longer to present its line-up for 2023.