Nyck de Vries in contention for shock one-off Red Bull F1 return – report

Jamie Woodhouse 19 Aug 2023 7:07 PM

AlphaTauri's Nyck de Vries at the British Grand Prix. Silverstone, July 2023.

According to a report, Red Bull are considering recalling Nyck de Vries to serve as reserve driver for the Mexico City Grand Prix.

De Vries became the latest casualty of a Red Bull mid-season driver swap when, following the 2023 British Grand Prix in July, it was confirmed that he would be dropped from the line-up at Red Bull’s junior team AlphaTauri.

The Dutch racer, who boasts a Formula E and Formula 2 title on his impressive CV, failed to deliver the performances expected in a 10-race stint with AlphaTauri, one where he struggled to get the better of team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, convincing Red Bull to cut his rookie campaign short without a point scored.

Another chapter to be written for Nyck de Vries at Red Bull?

Some had suggested that De Vries’ axing could be the end of his Formula 1 career, never mind just his time with Red Bull, but it seems the Austrian outfit may not be finished with De Vries yet.

RacingNews365.comare reporting that as per their sources, Red Bull are considering appointing De Vries as the reserve driver for the main team and AlphaTauri for the Mexico City Grand Prix, taking place from October 27-29.

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De Vries, whose contract with Red Bull runs to the end of 2023, is in contention to fill the place usually occupied by Liam Lawson, the Red Bull junior facing a clash of dates with the Mexico City GP and the final two rounds of the 2023 Super Formula campaign, taking place at Suzuka.

Considering that Lawson is currently leading the Championship with three races of the campaign remaining, it is unlikely that he would be prepared to sacrifice his shot at the title to serve as Red Bull and AlphaTauri reserve in Mexico.

As it stands, De Vries is not believed to have signed with another racing team, which would scupper this potential Red Bull plan.

The team replaced De Vries at AlphaTauri with eight-time race winner Daniel Ricciardo, who had been acting as Red Bull’s reserve and simulator driver, sending the Aussie to AlphaTauri on loan for the remainder of F1 2023.

At the wheel of arguably the slowest challenger on the grid in the AT04, Ricciardo will hope to get off the mark during the remaining 10 rounds of F1 2023, with AlphaTauri rooted to the bottom of theConstructors’ standingson just three points.