As Formula 1 heads to the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend, rookie Nyck de Vries will be watching from the comfort of a TV, following his “brutal” sacking last Tuesday.
It was announced just over a week ago that De Vries had been sacked by AlphaTauri, just 10 races into his debut campaign.
His firing came whilst Red Bull development driver Daniel Ricciardo was impressing the Austrians during a Pirelli tyre test at the Silverstone International Circuit, which seems to have been the nail in the coffin for De Vries.
Ricciardo will actually be replacing De Vries at the Red Bull sister team for the remainder of 2023, alongside Yuki Tsunoda.
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Some have questioned the fairness of dropping the 28-year-old so soon in his F1 career; however, the Dutchman simply wasn’t performing to Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko’s standards.
Given his embarrassing exit from AlphaTauri, it’s unlikely that De Vries will feature on the F1 grid again looking into the future, with the rest of his racing career presumably set to be carried out elsewhere.
The former Mercedes reserve driver has been linked with a potential switch to the World Endurance Racing, whilst it’s been reported that he’s in talks to return to Formula E.
The Race have reported that De Vries is in talks with Nissan about replacing Norman Nato next season, with the Frenchman not being retained for 2024.
De Vries is a former Formula E World Champion and was set to race in the series this season, before his move to AlphaTauri was announced.
The Dutchman was expected to race for Maserati, after Mercedes-EQ left the championship following the conclusion of the Gen2 era.
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A move to Nissan would see the driver return to a series where he’s experienced success, alongside rookie Sacha Fenestraz who is being kept for next season.
The seat with the Japanese manufacturer isn’t a definite though, as Nissan are also in talks with their former driver Oliver Rowland, who left Mahindra ahead of the Jakarta E-Prix this year.
Should Nissan choose Rowland over De Vries, then a return to Formula E will look like a challenge for 2024, meaning the next few weeks are vital for the driver to secure a seat.