F1 News: Nyck de Vries Is Feeling The Pressure Ahead Of Rookie 2023 Season

The Dutch driver has spoken about the pressure going into his first F1 season.

AlphaTauri's newest driver Nyck de Vries has revealed that he still feels the pressure despite his impressive performance at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix. 

The Dutch driver stepped in last minute for Alex Albon after he was rushed to hospital ahead of the Italian Grand Prix last year. De Vries showed fantastic performance, outperforming Albon's teammate at the time Nicholas Latifi and finishing with a points finish. His performance ultimately led to him securing a permanent seat for 2023 with AlphaTauri.

The team have released an interview with the rookie driver as part of the AT04 release. When asked if he still feels the pressure despite his fantastic performance at Monza, de Vries responded:

"There is always healthy pressure. I think that is necessary to be fully focused and switched on. 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. Apart from three rookie tests – two at Mercedes, one with Scuderia AlphaTauri – I didn’t do proper testing.

"The FP1s were a great opportunity and experience to get myself out during a grand prix weekend. That brings a very different pressure to when you are doing a full day of testing because you have very limited time. It’s an opportunity to show yourself but equally, there is more to lose than win so for sure, that is good experience to have. 

De Vries continued:

"I think having the 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."