De Vries at Red Bull in 2024: 'Wouldn't surprise me at all'

After many years of loyal service, Nyck de Vries is no longer part of the Mercedes family. In fact, the Dutchman has switched to big rival Red Bull, which is housing him at AlphaTauri. There, he will make his debut as a regular Grand Prix driver.

It is commonly known that Mercedes rates De Vries very highly. Ideally, the German team would have preferred to keep him as a test and reserve driver. Out of respect for everything De Vries has meant to the brand in the past, Mercedes let De Vries go anyway. Red Bull, of all places, contracted him. At AlphaTauri, De Vries can show how good he is.

Talent to win races

"I am convinced that Nyck has the talent to win races if he is with the right team with the right car," says Mercedes technical director Andrew Shovlin in the forthcoming book Max & Nyck. This was written by Ivo Pakvis and Stijn Keuris. "Whether he can become world champion depends on many things. He has less time to achieve that given his age, but he makes up for that with his experience."

Mercedes did not have a spot available for De Vries. Shovlin does not rule out that Mercedes will nevertheless one day regret letting the Dutchman go: "Indeed, I would not be surprised if he becomes our main competitor at the 'big' Red Bull in 2024," he says. Shovlin does not rule out De Vries becoming the replacement for Sergio Perez, who has a contract at Red Bull in 2024.