Nyck de Vries says in a new interview that he was also not satisfied with his results during his short Formula 1 career. The Dutchman looks back on his disappointing short season in the premier class, and on the aftermath of his departure from AlphaTauri.
De Vries had to leave Formula 1 halfway through the 2023 season, after the Dutchman did not achieve the desired performance. De Vries himself said in an interview with Formula 1 Magazine that he was also not satisfied with his results. ‘I am a perfectionist. So I guess I’m never completely satisfied with how things are going or have gone. Not about myself, not about the performance. That’s just my nature: nothing is perfect, there are always things in life that you could have done differently or better.’
After the news of De Vries’ departure from AlphaTauri emerged, the Dutchman received a lot of support from other prominent figures in Dutch motorsport. ‘Of course the messages I have received and the support I have received are nice. I really appreciate that,” said De Vries, who also tried to spend as little time as possible with the media at the time of his dismissal. ‘On the other hand, I deliberately did not follow the media. It just really didn’t interest me for a moment. The only thing I thought about then was about myself: what do I want, what do I think? And I knew: I am determined to give my career a positive continuation in motorsport.’ De Vries did the latter by making his return to Formula E this month, the championship in which he won the title in 2021.
De Vries: ‘I was simply no longer active as an F1 driver’
De Vries was disappointed that the focus in the media for a while was mainly on his departure from Formula 1. ‘I think that media attention should go to the racing, the sporting achievements. And not about peripheral issues, the surrounding things. I understand that it is your job, as media. And that there were questions. But I didn’t see the point in seeking attention: I was simply no longer active as a Formula 1 driver.’
