De Vries feels at home at AlphaTauri: 'Huge transition from Mercedes'

Nyck de Vries was in action for Mercedes for the second time this year on the Friday before the Mexican Grand Prix. The Dutchman was allowed to take a seat in George Russell's car during FP1. After several practice sessions in 2022, it seems De Vries is now done this season. The 27-year-old driver is slowly shifting his focus to 2023.

De Vries will make his full-time Formula 1 debut next season with the AlphaTauri team. There, he will become the new teammate of Yuki Tsunoda. In conversation with the NOS De Vries talks about the preparations. They are no big tasks yet, as the Dutchman is mainly busy getting to know the team.

De Vries has already had his first visit to the factory in Faenza, where he fitted his seat for the first time. In the interview, the Dutchman says AlphaTauri already feels like a family. "That's in their culture. It's a small, close-knit team. I am lucky to speak the language and have already been able to introduce myself to everyone. It's a huge transition. At Mercedes, you have a lot of English, but also a lot of other nationalities. At AlphaTauri, 85 per cent of the staff are Italian."

De Vries hopes that after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix he will be allowed to take his first seat in the AlphaTauri during the Young Driver Test at the Yas Marina circuit. If successful, De Vries will have driven for five different teams in the 2022 season. "We are in talks to make that happen." De Vries himself is not worried about the statistics.