Sebastian Vettel disappointed by 'brutal' sacking of Nyck de Vries at Red Bull sister team AlphaTauri

Updated 16/07/2023 at 10:37 GMT

Nyck de Vries will not be on the grid when the 2023 Formula 1 season resumes at the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 23. The Dutch driver was sacked by AlphaTauri and replaced by Daniel Ricciardo. Former world champion Sebastian Vettel has described the decision as 'brutal' and hopes it does not knock the confidence of the former Formula 2 world champion.

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Sebastian Vettel has criticised former team Red Bull for the decision to sack Nyck de Vries at sister outfit AlphaTauri.

Ten races into the 2023 Formula 1 season, De Vries was removed from the grid - with Daniel Ricciardo taking over for the second half of the season.

It was a tough campaign for De Vries, as he failed to score a point and his best finish was 12th in Monaco.

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Still, Vettel was critical of the decision to pull the plug on the Dutchman.

“I have to be honest, it’s obviously a shame for Nyck, the way it came to an end,” he told ITV at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (h/t racingnews365). "I think he got given a great chance, maybe things didn’t happen for him the way he expected or people expected but it’s also a bit harsh when it comes to a very sudden stop.

“It’s brutal."

Vettel pointed to De Vries’ earlier achievements in Formula 2 - he won the title in 2019 - and feels people should focus on that rather than his short-lived spell in the AlphaTauri.

“Maybe those five, 10 races whatever didn’t go according to how good they could have been," four-time F1 world champion Vettel said. "We don’t know why, first of all from the outside and second he is still a very good driver.

"I have to also sympathise with the fact that you know, it’s very harsh for him and I hope that people don’t [just] see that.

"He won the F2 championship, he won international championships so he’s well recognised and I hope that this doesn’t put a dent in his confidence.

“That’s why people shouldn’t look at [only his AlphaTauri career] because people tend to do that and that’s not right."

De Vries’ final drive in the AlphaTauri came at the British Grand Prix on July 9.

The season resumes on July 23 with the Hungarian Grand Prix.

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