F1 Rumour: Daniel Ricciardo To Take AlphaTauri Seat Immediately to Replace Nyck de Vries
Nyck de Vries' short-lived stint with AlphaTauri has reportedly ended. The Dutch driver will be replaced by eight-time grand prix winner, Daniel Ricciardo, according to numerous sources.
De Vries' dismissal, before the season's halfway point in Hungary and Belgium, and his home race in Zandvoort, follows a string of underwhelming performances. He is just one of two drivers to have not scored any points so far this season, the other being Logan Sargeant, which is clearly not up to the standards set by Red Bull and AlphaTauri.
After stepping in for Alex Albon at Williams last year for the Italian Grand Prix and landing ninth place, he caught the attention of Helmut Marko. He was chosen to fill in for Pierre Gasly at AlphaTauri, marking the first time two Dutch drivers were on the Formula 1 grid.
While his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, in his third season with Red Bull's sister team, managed two tenth-place finishes, their last weekend's performance at Silverstone highlighted the team's struggles this season. With these struggles, the management lost faith in de Vries' potential to spark change.
Ricciardo, after a six-month break following an early termination with McLaren, returns to the grid. The Australian had driven for AlphaTauri (previously Toro Rosso) in 2012 and 2013, and now he is set to return to the Formula 1 stage at the Hungaroring next week, filling de Vries' vacant spot.
It is worth noting that there are yet to be any official announcements from either party.