Damon Hill says sacked De Vries had “lucky break” in F1

VIDEO: Former F1 champion was speaking at Lympstone Manor

Former F1 world champion Damon Hill believes Nyck De Vries, who was sacked this week as an Alpha Tauri driver, had “a lucky break” getting his seat in the first place.

Speaking at the Celebration of Speed at Lympstone Manor in Devon, the day after De Vries’ ruthless dismissal, Mr Hill said the Dutch driver had “a lot of time” to prove himself at the pinnacle of motorsport before his defenestration.  

He added: “The reason he was a reserve driver in the first place was due to his previous experiences [Formula E and Formula 2 champion]. They don’t wait around in Formula One, it does demand that people deliver almost instantly. That is the hard and harsh reality of the sport”.

Red Bull racing advisor Dr Helmut Marko explained De Vries’ performance hasn’t been satisfactory enough. The demise of the rookie means 34-year-old Australian, Daniel Ricciardo, will take over and have the chance to prove himself again in an F1 car. 

Damon Hill thinks it was a risk for Alpha Tauri to hire De Vries. “He had one race as a reserve driver, which was better than expected and gave him the opportunity to be a full-time driver. And it looked like there was more struggle than just bad luck,” he told Devon’s Radio Exe.

During Nyck De Vries’ five-month spell racing in his first full season in F1, he failed to score a point in the opening 10 races. The Dutch driver is now without a job.

Daniel Ricciardo, who was released by McLaren last year, is back on the grid after less than a year out. He said in the team statement: "I am thrilled to be back on track with the Red Bull family”.

Mr Hill claims that Alpha Tauri had other plans for Ricciardo. He said: “They looked at Daniel and thought, we’ll have him back in the fold and find out what his plans are. He clearly wants to get back in a racing car and race again and they've won Grand Prixs with him… it's going to be good fun watching.”