De Vries and Verstappen as Red Bull’s line-up in the future?

Nyck de Vries is no longer part of the Mercedes family. After many successes within the German group, including a Formula E title and a race at the Monza Grand Prix with Williams, the Dutchman has moved to Red Bull, where he is being hosted by AlphaTauri. He officially makes his rookie debut this season, although Bahrain was not his first Grand Prix.

De Vries was highly regarded at Mercedes. Ideally, the German team would have preferred to keep him as a test and reserve driver. However, out of respect for everything De Vries has done for the brand in the past, Mercedes let him go. Red Bull seized the opportunity and signed him to join AlphaTauri as Pierre Gasly was looking for an exit door to go to Alpine.

Potential competitor of Mercedes in 2024

In the book Max & Nyck, Andrew Shovlin, technical director of Mercedes, declares about the former Williams driver «, “I am convinced that Nyck has the talent to win races if he is with the right team and the right car. Whether he can become a world champion depends on many things. He will have less time to achieve it given his age, but he compensates for that with his experience ».”

Shovlin does not exclude the possibility that Mercedes will regret letting the Dutchman go: « In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes our main competitor in 2024 ». Indeed, Shovlin does not exclude the possibility that De Vries will become the replacement for Sergio Perez, whose contract with Red Bull will end in 2024. This would allow Red Bull to reform the Dutch duo, as the two drivers have been close since their karting days.