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There is a wry smile on Nyck de Vries’ face when asked about his relationship with Max Verstappen.
As the newest face in Formula 1, who has signed with AlphaTauri for 2023 and beyond, the Dutchman’s path is inextricably linked with reigning world champion Verstappen.
De Vries may be 27, a ‘late bloomer’ as he describes himself, but it is Verstappen, the 25-year-old ‘older brother’, who has been a key advisor on the road to his F1 breakthrough.
Over the weekend it was announced that Nyck de Vries will have a full-time racing seat from 2023
Max Verstappen has been a key advisor to De Vries and helped him achieve his breakthrough in F1
“Max and I have a great relationship,” said De Vries.
“Obviously we’re from a similar era, he’s a bit younger than me, but we grew up in karting, we’re both Dutch and the way he approached racing with his dad, driving around in a van around Europe , I think was very similar to ours.
“We live for the sport and we respect each other as drivers, although he is a world champion and the best in our sport at the moment I am there.
“Although he is a bit younger, it almost felt like he was acting as my older brother. We had dinner together in Monaco after Monza and we talked about the possibilities and opportunities.
That resulted in a conversation with Dr. Marko. We met in Austria that same week.’
It was after he secured pole on Saturday that Verstappen, like a proud brother, beamed at the news that De Vries had landed the AlphaTauri seat.
Dining together at Monza, after De Vries was called up late to replace Williams’ Alex Albon, who was stricken with appendicitis, resulted in ninth place. Everything accelerated from there for the rookie Dutchman.
De Vries is two years older than Verstappen, but has described Max as almost ‘older brother’
“I’ve always listened to people around me and knowledge is very important in this industry and I think sometimes you see people holding their cards very close to their chests,” he added.
“But if you don’t give, you don’t get and it’s important to share information to know what’s going on and that was very much that kind of conversation (at dinner).”
De Vries, as he admits, has taken an unorthodox route to land his first chance at F1. Even he began to wonder if the opportunity would ever come.
The Uitwellingerga-born racer, two-time winner of the Karting Championship, arrived as a phenomenon, but soon had to find opportunities in Formula 2, where he won the championship in 2019, and in Formula E with Mercedes, when he took the title of 2020-21 won. .
Reserve driver roles at Mercedes and Williams followed and despite competing with the likes of Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz, George Russell and Alex Albon in his karting days, the Dutchman, who will be 28 by the time he enters his first season with AlphaTauri, asked. begins, wondering if his window was closed.
“I admit there were certain moments in my career when I thought it was very unlikely that I would get another chance, especially when I won Formula 2 and moved in a different direction in Formula E,” explains De Vries. .
De Vries replaces Gasly who will leave the Red Bull stable in the 2023 season to join Alpine
“It wasn’t a common path to Formula 1, but somehow I always kind of kept a foot in the door and I think what really defines my career is that I always took every opportunity that came my way.” and came into my life. path.’
He will team up with 22-year-old Yuki Tsunoda next season and even with limited experience in an F1 car, much will be expected of De Vries to lead Red Bull’s sister team in 2023.
As a winner of multiple championships in different formulas, does he feel better prepared to get started?
De Vries achieved a sensational points finish in his F1 debut replacing Alex Albon
“Sure,” he shoots back. “Of course I still miss a bit of Formula 1 experience.
“There are quite a few tracks on the calendar that are still unknown to me, but in terms of maturity and overall racing experience I have won a lot.
“In any other sport you practice your sport every day, in racing you don’t. It’s pretty limited so I’ve always been in favor of racing and I think that certainly prepared me, as best I can, for what’s to come.”
And if he has questions, he can do worse than asking ‘older brother’ Verstappen for advice.