De Vries was quite surprised by Mercedes' decision

Nyck de Vries is preparing heavily behind the scenes for his challenge for next season. Indeed, the Dutchman will join AlphaTauri early next season, where he will succeed the departed Pierre Gasly. Speaking to Formule1.nl he states that he needs to get used to the attention that this entails.

For years, the 27-year-old driver had to wait and see if he would ever get a chance in Formula 1. Although De Vries was successful in motorsport and therefore worked quite a bit on his fame, it did not yet generate much interest from teams in the motorsport class.

That changed this season when he was successful in the Italian Grand Prix, doing extremely well for Williams. Since then, he received more attention from the outside world. "This whole circus does change your freedom a bit, but on the other hand, of course, I am still just myself," De Vries says.

De Vries surprised by Mercedes chance

His move to AlphaTauri means De Vries has to say goodbye to Mercedes, where he is a reserve driver. The farewell fell hard on him, it was noticeable in Mexico. Indeed, De Vries was allowed to finish the first free practice and thanked his entire team after the session.

He was somewhat surprised that his team gave him the opportunity to get in the car once more, even though next season he will race for a team that has ties with rival Red Bull Racing. "Yes. On the other hand: I was also the most logical, safe option," he said.