Formula 1: 3 possible landing spots for Nyck de Vries in 2023
Following a stellar Formula 1 debut race, former Formula 2 and Formula E world champion Nyck de Vries is now likely to secure a seat for the 2023 season.
Not to jump the gun during the silliest of silly seasons, but Nyck de Vries might have driven his way into a full-time Formula 1 seat last Sunday.
The 27-year-old Dutch driver was promoted from his reserve driver spot to fill in for Alex Albon, who missed the Italian Grand Prix with a bout of appendicitis. De Vries, who drove for Aston Martin just two days prior to making his Formula 1 race debut with Williams, miraculously put the FW44 car into ninth place, securing two points for the United Kingdom-based team.
While two points may not seem like a big deal to many, it meant everything to a Williams team looking for any positive takeaways from this year. Williams have struggled in every race this season and had scored just four points prior to Monza.
The valiant performance stunned the Formula 1 world and garnered praise from the likes of Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and George Russell.
The drive from de Vries might have been just what he needed to state his case for a starting driver role next season. He has gained experience in practice sessions for several teams this season alone, and he didn’t shy away from the intensity of a Grand Prix.
So what does his future in Formula 1 hold? Here are the three teams most likely to sign de Vries for 2023 after his Monza performance.
Possible Nyck de Vries 2023 landing spots: No. 1 – Williams
Of course, Williams would appear to be the most likely option for de Vries next season. He already has experience with the team, he is familiar with the car, and he has brought hope to a team that’s on pace to finish dead last in this year’s constructor standings.
Williams team boss Jost Capito’s comments post-race suggest that Williams are keen on signing de Vries to the team full-time. The Dutchman’s strong performance in Monza drew high praise from Capito, who said that de Vries has “nothing else to do” to secure a seat in Formula 1.
The Williams seat is one of the very few seats left that’s pretty much guaranteed to have a vacancy. Despite a cult following on social media keeping him relevant, Latifi is likely to be on his way out after this season. He currently sits at 21st place in a sport that features 20 full-time drivers, an embarrassing statistic to have attached to your career.
Nonetheless, de Vries has proven himself to be one of the top remaining unsigned prospects in Formula 1. Earlier in the season, Williams could have been a landing spot for Oscar Piastri, but everyone knows how that saga played out.
However, it appears that not all hope has been lost for a team that have failed to excite year in and year out. De Vries could fit in nicely with Albon to create something of a dream team for Williams.