F1 Insider Claims "Decision Has Been Made" About Nyck De Vries' AlphaTauri Future

Ralf Schumacher comments on the recent Nyck de Vries rumours.

Former F1 driver and Sky Sports Germany reporter, Ralf Schumacher, has commented on the ongoing rumours of Nyck de Vries losing his seat with AlphaTauri, saying that the "decision has been made".

De Vries has failed to match up to teammate Yuki Tsunoda's performances, sparking speculation about his future. Schumacher has waded into the discussion, stating that a change of driver is inevitable, he commented:

“The decision has been made, I’m pretty sure of that.

“It’s a shame for him that he probably won’t be able to drive [his home race in] Zandvoort.

“He [Nyck de Vries] will no longer be in the car after the summer break.”

There were high hopes for the Dutch driver going into his rookie season after his impressive F1 debut at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix. De Vries had to step in last minute for Alex Albon in the Williams after the latter was taken ill. The Dutch driver managed to score two points on his debut leading many teams to show interest in signing him for a full-time seat in 2023. However, de Vries has struggled to make a mark so far this season. 

Touching on his debut, Schumacher said:

"He did it well, had his highlight in Monza last year and was in the right place at the right time." 

With potential replacements being discussed, two names frequently mentioned are Red Bull junior driver Liam Lawson and eight-time grand prix winner Daniel Ricciardo. Notably, Ricciardo's simulator tests have caught attention and he is due to test new tyres at Silverstone soon. 

When questioned about this, Red Bull's consultant, Helmut Marko, cryptically responded, "We’ll look at the tire test and then we can talk,” sparking further speculation about Ricciardo's potential future with AlphaTauri. The situation is fluid, but it seems Nyck de Vries' time in F1 may be coming to an end.