George Russell has shown an interest in the future Formula 1 career of Nyck de Vries, years after competing against him in go-karts all the way up to Formula 2.
After winning the Formula 2 championship in the year following Russell’s triumph, de Vries has had to wait a bit longer than usual to be given his first chance at a full-time seat in F1.
However, Russell has stated that during their days of go-karting in the early stages of their junior careers, de Vries was one of the best in the business.
“Out of the karting boys as such, Nyck was the only one who hadn’t made it to F1, and probably deserved to have made it,” Russell said.
“I’ve always rated him. In go-karting, he was the man to beat. Out of all of us, he was probably the most successful.
“Those five drivers – myself, Alex [Albon], Max [Verstappen], Charles [Leclerc] and Nyck – who were in that era of racing against each other at 11, 12, Nyck was the only one who didn’t make it, so I’m happy for him”
Just like Russell, de Vries had his first taste in a race with Williams at the Italian Grand Prix as he replaced Alex Albon who was suffering from appendicitis.
The Dutchman had the perfect debut for a team who has spent most of the season on the wrong side of the points-scoring positions, earning himself a drive with AlphaTauri for 2023.
“Getting to Formula 1, you need to do the job at the right time when there’s an opportunity on the grid, and sometimes those stars don’t align,” Russell continued.
“The number of stars that were aligned at Monza made up for it.
“I’m now intrigued to see how he’ll get on but I’ve no doubt he’ll perform well. He’s got all the possibilities to be a great F1 driver.”
