AlphaTauri ‘reach agreement’ to sign de Vries for 2023
According to Canal+, de Vries will partner Yuki Tsunoda at AlphaTauri, paving the way for Pierre Gasly to join Alpine.
De Vries impressed on his F1 debut last time out at the Italian Grand Prix as a last-minute replacement for Alex Albon, who was admitted to hospital with appendicitis ahead of FP3 at Monza.
The 27-year-old scored points for Williams in his first outing, putting him in the frame for a drive at Grove for 2023.
However, AlphaTauri have been wanting to sign a new driver to allow Gasly to join Alpine as Fernando Alonso’s replacement.
Initially, AlphaTauri identified IndyCar star Colton Herta but due to problems obtaining a superlicence, that wasn’t a realistic option.
With de Vries impressing on his maiden F1 outing, AlphaTauri are now set to sign the Dutchman for 2023.
Although, talk of an agreement between de Vries and AlphaTauri may be premature with Helmut Marko confirming to the Dutch press that “negotiations are underway” but nothing has yet been finalised.
If the deal is to happen, there will be just two seats on the grid available for next year - one at Haas and one at Williams.
Haas are eyeing up former Renault and current Aston Martin reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg, leaving Mick Schumacher potentially out of a seat for F1 2023.
With de Vries not likely to be still on the driver market, Williams may have to give Logan Sargeant an early promotion, if he is able to secure a superlicence.
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