De Vries admits: 'I really shit my pants'

Suddenly, there was Nyck de Vries' unexpected debut in Formula 1. Alex Albon had appendicitis, allowing De Vries to step into the Williams at Monza on Saturday morning. That this is not easy proved afterwards.

De Vries arrived exhausted at the finish, on the ninth spot and immediately his first points ever. He sighed over the board radio that his shoulders were dead and asked if someone could help him get out of the car. He no longer had the strength to do so himself. In the end, crew members from Williams who had rushed in helped him out of the car.

On Renze op Zaterdag, De Vries looked back at that moment: "I think it's a bit embarrassing, of course. Monza is the very easiest circuit of year, physically speaking. Then came Singapore. I was really shitting my pants, because it was not sure if Alex could drive. I was only in the sauna to train," he said. In the end, De Vries did not have to compete in Asia during what is probably the toughest Grand Prix of the season because of the heat and high humidity.

De Vries, incidentally, had a good excuse for the fatigue in Monza. Since the future AlphaTauri driver knew very late that he had to substitute, the team could not optimally adjust the car for him. Moreover, after qualifying, it is forbidden to make any changes. "The steering wheel was actually too high for me. That's why the front of my shoulders was continuously active. I just couldn't steer after that safety car," De Vries concluded.