Nick de Vries scored points on his F1 debut, which came as a huge surprise to everyone, including the driver himself, this weekend in Italy. Alex Albon’s health problem forced the Dutchman to replace him in the Williams cockpit. The 27-year-old driver not only coped with the task, but also placed in the top 10 – he finished ninth and took 2 points. After the final, he was called to the stewards. He was investigated for “irresponsible driving” in a fight with Guanyu Zhu towards the end of the race. The Alfa Romeo driver finished 10th.
In the end, the stewards decided only to warn De Vries. They noted in their decision that the pilot was a last-minute replacement for a starter and had flown the FW 44 for the first time in Saturday’s free practice. That’s why they decided that the sanction was only a warning.
P9 and points on debut 🙌
A day @nyckdevries will remember forever! #ItalianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/cpbssS6n8b
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 11, 2022
Brilliant effort from @nyckdevries on debut 💪
And a worthy winner of #F1DriverOfTheDay 👏#ItalianGP @salesforce pic.twitter.com/iGBNOGUdh6
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 11, 2022
“I grabbed the chance with both hands!” laughed De Vries after the final in Italy
“The whole experience from yesterday to today was just a dream. To be part of the driver’s parade, to see all the excitement, to be able to race, a top 10 start, to have a good race, to score points on my debut and finally Driver of the Day – it was all amazing.”
“At the end of the day, it’s not up to me to decide if I get a seat (in F1) or not.” I can only do my own work. We work in a competitive industry and each of us is only as good as our last competitive performance. A pilot is always expected to perform at a level. Fortunately, this weekend it worked out for me.”
De Vries is a member of Mercedes and the team from Brackley did not fail to note his performance. On Saturday, Lewis Hamilton said the Dutchman deserves a place in Formula 1. Today, Toto Wolff asked rhetorically what more De Vries needs to do to demonstrate his qualities.
“What else does he have to do beyond what was shown today?” He sat in a car he hadn’t driven, and in the third practice. And then he showed what he’s capable of,” commented Wolff.
Congratulations, @nyckdevries! 🤩👏#WeAreWilliams #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/JnKjS4KyMG
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) September 11, 2022