Sprint Shootout ends in disappointment for De Vries: 'Very frustrating'

A red flag in the closing stages of SQ1 brought an early end to the first-ever sprint shootout for Nyck de Vries. The AlphaTauri driver will therefore have to start the sprint race from last place.

De Vries may not have been swearing in the cockpit like his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, but he was nonetheless firmly disappointed with the denied opportunity. "It is beyond your control. There's not much you can do about it, but it's very frustrating because I actually didn't even get to do a lap," he informed Viaplay.

In the final stages of SQ1, the 28-year-old Dutchman just went for his first try at his fastest lap, as conditions were far from ideal during his firstattempt. "The track was slippery, there was little grip, and my tyres were way too cold at the beginning of the session, so my first attempt was more like a warm-up lap. As you heard from everyone, the grip was poor," De Vries continued.

He was hoping to get a bit more out of his tyres in his final flying lap, but due to the crash of Williams driver Logan Sargeant, a second attempt was not in the cards. " Obviously, I am not satisfied, but we can't change anything anymore, and we will try to gain positions this afternoon," said De Vries.