Vettel on firing De Vries: 'It's a bit harsh and cruel'

For Nyck de Vries, the Formula 1 adventure is over. The former AlphaTauri driver has now been replaced by Daniel Ricciardo. Sebastian Vettel hopes De Vries' dismissal will not have a negative impact on the continuation of De Vries' career.

"The way it came to an end. I think he got given a great chance, maybe things didn’t happen for him the way he expected or people expected but it’s also a bit harsh when it comes to a very sudden stop. It’s brutal," Vettel is quoted by ITV at the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed.

"I met him last year for the first time and he seemed like a really good person and he is a good driver. He won the F2 championship, he won international championships so he’s well recognised and I hope that this doesn’t put a dent in his confidence.So that’s why people shouldn’t look at [his AlphaTauri career only] because people tend to do that and that’s not right," Vettel said.

Before De Vries was fired at AlphaTauri by Helmut Marko, there were all sorts of rumours about who would replace the Dutchman. For instance, Alex Palou would possibly replace him after the end of the IndyCar season. So it became Ricciardo.