Nyck de Vries indicates that the changes for the Australian Grand Prix were not game changers. The AlphaTauri driver did notice a subtle difference in the cockpit, but he was unable to take full advantage of the new parts the team brought in due to a breakdown. Nevertheless, De Vries hopes that AlphaTauri will be able to get closer to the top ten in the coming months, especially given the exciting battle in midfield.
AlphaTauri brought some updates to the weekend in Australia, but only Yuki Tsunoda could look back on a positive race in Melbourne. The Japanese scored points for the Italian team, while De Vries was out due to an incident with Logan Sargeant. The drivers also felt the changes. “I think the differences are quite subtle,” he told Motorsport.com. “And of course there isn’t really a lot of low speed cornering on this particular track. But all developments on the car are necessary because everyone works hard.’
However, the AlphaTauri updates are not a game changer for the other circuits. “You don’t go from P15 to P8, but all the little details make a difference. And all the time you’re looking and finding more, and then hopefully you’ll find yourself close to the top ten.’ It is therefore important for De Vries to use his feedback to work well with the rest of the team. “We’re a team working together, highlighting and addressing potential areas where we can improve, and I think it’s clear where we need to find performance.”
De Vries: ‘Small difference can turn around so quickly’
The development race in Formula 1 in the coming months could be the difference between last place and a place in the points. “It’s so exciting in midfield, a small difference can turn around so quickly.” For now, there is still a long period of rest ahead of the next Grand Prix. “We’ll have some time now to try and learn what we’ve brought and hopefully we can use that to our advantage by bringing new updates and doing more development on the car,” said De Vries.
