Nick de Vries strengthens security with AlphaTauri F1 contract[F1-Gate.com]

Nick de Vries had to strengthen security after signing with AlphaTauri F1.

Nick de Vries won the FIA-F2 championship in 2019, but there are no vacancies in F1, so he switched to Formula E and won the championship in 2021. Mercedes F1 reserve driver De Vries has been a frequent figure in Formula 1 this year, but it was not the center of attention.

This year’s free practice with Mercedes, Williams and Aston Martin, who are reserve drivers, didn’t change that, but Williams replaced Alexander Albon, who crashed due to appendicitis the next day after driving for the ‘Aston Martin at the Italian F1 Grand Prix. his attention skyrocketed when he participated and won an award.

However, Nick de Vries was able to move around the paddock relatively freely, but that all changed when it was announced that he would take over from Pierre Gasly at AlphaTauri F1 in 2023. Fans started shouting his name. , take selfies with him and ask for autographs in the craziest places.

Nick de Vries had to appoint additional security after being besieged at his hotel the night before the F1 Mexican Grand Prix when he began free practice for Mercedes. De Vries said he found it difficult to keep people away, learning that you can’t say no to another when dealing with a fan.

“Would you like to take a selfie with us?” jokingly began the interview with the Dutch Formula 1 journalist, who was stunned by Nick de Vries’ response to all the fans.

“Of course”, said Nick de Vries, “something has changed after Monza”. “Last night I was almost attacked in a hotel and this morning I had to call security again.”

“It’s great that people are so enthusiastic, but I have to get away from it and it’s not nice not to give them time.”

“It’s a difficult balance. The moment you give way to a person, the fence is over.”

But Nick de Vries said there are big differences between Mexico and Japan.

“In Japan they are very polite and respectful. They sit there in silence waiting for their chance. Here they are attacking.”

“The whole freedom of the circus is changing a bit. But on the other hand, I’ve been myself for 27 years and I’m still myself.”

Nick de Vries says he has taken the time to adjust to the idea of ​​becoming a full-time F1 driver in 2023 and to enjoy everything that is happening.

“I’m living my dream,” smiled Nick de Vries.

“This is what I’ve been working on all my life. Obviously I love doing it. This is why I’ve done it all.”

“I understand what happened and what will happen, but it will probably happen more during the winter.”

A week after the announcement in Japan that he would be driving for AlphaTauri F1 in 2023, Nick de Vries has already made his first visit to the team’s factory in Faenza.

“It was beautiful,” recalls Nick de Vries.

“I’ve already driven for an Italian kart team, so it was like coming home.”

“The Italians obviously have a great passion for motorsport, and it is part of their culture that the teams form a close-knit group, like a big family”.

The fact that Nick de Vries speaks Italian well will undoubtedly help him to establish himself quickly in AlphaTauri F1.

“I was able to introduce myself to everyone in Italian,” said Nick de Vries.

“I was very warmly welcomed and it was a pleasure to be there. I am very grateful to be able to lead my debut season with AlphaTauri and get started in the sport.”

Nick de Vries hopes that the fact that he is fluent in Italian will work to his advantage.

“I think so. I was really surprised to see so many Italians working there. There were so many British groups in Mercedes, but there are many other nationalities working there. But in Faenza I think 85% are Italian.”

Nick de Vries is known for having worked for a long time without a manager. Even when he replaced Alexander Albon at the F1 Italian Grand Prix, De Vries didn’t even have a physio, and the Williams mechanics dragged De Vries, who couldn’t raise his arms after receiving the chucker flag.

But that has changed recently. You collaborated with Guillaume Le Goff, who also worked with Pierre Gasly. And Vries has known Le Goff since his early years in motorsport.

“When Pierre and I were teammates in Formula Renault 2.0, Guillaume, who was an engineer at ART, was in charge of the AOTech simulator,” said Nick de Vries.

“We were developing the simulator together, so we spent a lot of time together during that time.”

“Then Guillaume moved to England and worked in McLaren’s automotive division,” continued de Vries, who was part of McLaren’s Young Drivers program at the time.

“We met a lot there. Whenever I was there, we met and chatted for a while.”

Guillaume Le Goff has been active as a driver manager since 2017. He has his own agency called The Grid.

“And I was looking for someone to trust and know very well. Also, I didn’t want very open and visible management. My relationship with the team is very important to me. So Guillaume is not one of them, but he frees me from any sort of things happening in the background. “

Being an F1 driver, Nick de Vries says he has learned one thing.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last couple of weeks, it’s that suddenly I have a lot of friends I didn’t know before. I think

Category: F1 / Nick de Vries / Alfa Tauri