F1 driver calls for Max Verstappen fans to cheer him instead

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Nyck de Vries has admitted he is unsure how much support he will receive from Dutch fans in his debut F1 season, given the “whole country is behind” reigning world champion Max Verstappen.

De Vries will race for AlphaTauri this season, having been signed as a replacement for Pierre Gasly. Gasly has joined Alpine, replacing Fernando Alonso after he made the switch to Aston Martin following Sebastian Vettel’s retirement.

De Vries made his F1 debut last season, standing in for Williams driver Alex Albon at the Italian Grand Prix after he was ruled out with appendicitis. And he impressed, qualifying 13th, ahead of fellow Williams driver Nicholas Latifi, and then scoring points with a ninth placed finish in the race.

The 28-year-old is excited to become the second Dutch driver on the grid alongside two-time world champion Verstappen. Speaking at the unveiling of AlphaTaruri’s new car, De Vries was asked if he expects to share the support of Dutch F1 fans with Verstappen.

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“Time will tell,” he replied. “Obviously, Max has done incredibly well in Formula 1. He’s dominating our sport at the moment and rightfully, the whole country is behind him and the Dutch are very excited about Formula 1.

“I’m starting my Formula 1 journey, and while Max will be continuing to fight for championships, I’ll try to make my mark in my way as well. Apart from that, I don’t know how much the support will be divided between us. Of course the fans are behind Max and now they have a second Dutch driver to cheer for!”

And De Vries is “very excited and motivated” ahead of his first season with AlphaTauri, where he will partner Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda. When asked what he is most looking forward to this year, he said: “First of all, to get the opportunity to live my dream, but equally to be very excited and motivated to perform and to deliver.

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“I think partly because my journey has been slightly unusual and longer, I’m even more grateful for the opportunity, more motivated to grab it and hungrier to show what I’m worth. I would say I’m still a rookie. Of course, I had the privilege of driving many different cars, but I think the benefits of that are not so much down to the track time, because actually that was very limited.

“I think having experience to have worked with different teams in different environments will bring a lot of value, but in terms of pure track and race time, I reckon I have less than this year’s other rookies. However, I am a bit older and I’ve had the opportunity to race in different championships so that is a level of experience that brings some value.”

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