Dutch driver Nyck de Vries is now left without a seat in Formula 1, and he is unlikely to return to the world's premier motorsport competition after an underwhelming stint with Scuderia AlphaTauri.
During a routine Pirelli tire testing at the Silverstone circuit a few days after the British Grand Prix, Red Bull reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo took out the dominant Red Bull RB19 car for a spin on the track.
After setting a lap time good enough to qualify on the front row of the Grand Prix held last Sunday, Red Bull Racing team principal and CEO Christian Horner called Red Bull Motorsport advisor Helmut Marko to inform him of the Aussie's impressive performance.
Daniel Ricciardo’s best lap from today’s tyre test would have reportedly been good enough for the front row of the grid in Sunday's British Grand Prix
He’s still got it 😎
[@lawrobarretto]#F1 pic.twitter.com/zs3jFGQt3A— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 11, 2023
The 80-year-old executive returned the call shortly, informing the Red Bull boss that he had removed de Vries from his AlphaTauri seat and was putting Ricciardo in.
Read more: Daniel Ricciardo To Return To Formula 1 Racing With Scuderia AlphaTauri
Daniel Ricciardo to AlphaTauri announcement made swiftly
After the decision was made, de Vries' camp quickly informed several Dutch journalists, and one of the biggest news stories of the Formula 1 season broke during the day.
Red Bull originally planned to declare the driver switch later this week, but they were forced to announce the news as early as the same afternoon due to the leaked information.
Horner was not too keen on de Vries in the first place, and Marko publicly stated two weeks ago that the 49-year-old principal is being proven right.
Related Article: McLaren's Stunning Pace in British Grand Prix Shocks Drivers
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