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Dutch racing driver Tom Coronel claims signing Nyck de Vries was a masterstroke from Red Bull. De Vries will join AlphaTauri for the 2023 season, replacing outgoing driver Pierre Gasly.
De Vries turned the entire F1 community on its head after scoring points on debut for Williams at the 2022 Italian GP. His drive was impressive enough to secure him a seat at AlphaTauri in 2023 - in place of Pierre Gasly, who is set to go to Alpine.
Former Touring Car champion Tom Coronel believes Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko did extremely well to secure Nyck de Vries for the Austrian team's junior outfit. The 27-year-old Dutchman will be one of the oldest debutantes next year when he officially enters the grid.
Speaking about Marko's stroke of genius, Coronel told Motorsport.com:
"I think this is a masterstroke from Red Bull. You should think carefully. You are now Doctor Helmut Marko and you think 'Ooh, Williams would like him' and 'Ooh, he's going to test at Alpine.' Mercedes also knows with all those customer teams also what he can do, so boom, I have to capture this guy right now."
Signing Nyck de Vries was an easy choice for Red Bull junior team
According to AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost, signing Nyck de Vries was an 'easy choice' following the Dutchman's P9 debut in Monza. De Vries subbed for Alex Albon at Williams in Monza and finished in the points. That immediately made the Dutch driver an attractive option for many teams.
Tost said:
"This has been very influential as it showed his true potential. He drove a fantastic race and made no mistakes, so it was an easy choice to go for him."
Tost claimed that the Dutchman's experience made him the most attractive prospect for next season.
Franz Tost elaborated:
"All the young drivers were taken into consideration. There's Liam Lawson, there's Ayumu Iwasa and Dennis Hauger in Formula 2 and Isack Hadjer in Formula 3, but they all still miss the experience needed."
The Red Bull junior team looks to be in safe hands in 2023, with Nyck de Vries and Yuki Tsunoda at the helm of the wheel. However, it is still uncertain whether the Dutchman will live up to all the hype he has generated.
