Nyck de Vries might be making a return to racing sooner rather than later, following his “brutal” sacking from AlphaTauri last Tuesday.
It was confirmed last Tuesday that De Vries had been sacked from AlphaTauri after just 10 races, with him to be replaced for the remainder of the season by Red Bull development driver Daniel Ricciardo.
Ricciardo impressed Red Bull during a Pirelli tyre test at the Silverstone International Circuit on the same day as De Vries’ axing, making many wonder whether the Australian’s performance was key to the Dutchman being sacked.
The rookie driver ultimately wasn’t matching the Faenza-based team’s expectations, with Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko having not viewed the 28-year-old as a rookie.
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Marko expected De Vries to lead the team, something which didn’t happen.
Whilst many understand why the driver has been fired, AlphaTauri have faced some criticism for how little time De Vries was given.
Should Ricciardo also struggle in the AT04, then questions may even be asked as to why the Dutch driver was fired.
De Vries’ F1 career is likely to be over; however, he’s already been linked to a seat elsewhere.
A return to Formula E is believed to be an option for the 2021 World Champion of the all-electric series, following reported interest by Nissan.
The Japanese manufacturer aren’t set to retain Norman Nato in 2024, with De Vries supposedly being in talks with the side.
Team principal Tommaso Volpe revealed that the axed F1 rookie is “of interest” to the team, but that nothing had been finalised yet for next season.
“He’s of interest as one of the drivers available for next season,” Volpe told The Race.
“He is interesting as a world champion, but I cannot confirm what we are doing.”
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De Vries does face some competition for the vacant Nissan seat, as the team are also believed to be interested in former driver Oliver Rowland.
Rowland left Nissan at the end of 2021 to switch to Mahindra, who he split from mid-season ahead of the Jakarta E-Prix at the start of June.
Rowland is also believed to have held talks with the side.