Nyck de Vries is "out of AlphaTauri" with immediate effect after failing to score a single point this season
Helmut Marko was convinced to sign him after his sensational debut for Williams at Monza in 2022 but De Vries' closest finish to the top 10 and those illustrious points-paying positions came at the Monaco Grand Prix where he finished 12th in a rain-affected race.
With Yuki Tsunoda performing well despite the limitations of the car, De Vries has come under more pressure and top Dutch journalist Allard Kalff broke the news on Tuesday afternoon that his time in F1 with AlphaTauri had come to an end.
Kalff, an ex-racer in Formula Ford, Formula Opel and Formula 3, is a paddock veteran and used to commentate in the early 90s at Eurosport alongside John Watson before working as a pit reporter and presenter for RTL and currently deliver F1 commentary on Viaplay, who hold the rights in the Netherlands.
"Breaking: Nyck de Vries out of Alpha Tauri as of ….. now," Kalff reported on his personal Twitter account.
This was then swiftly followed by De Telegraaf breaking the news that Ricciardo would replace him.
What next for AlphaTauri?
AlphaTauri is a team in turmoil with just two points in the constructors' standings and team principal Franz Tost leaving at the end of 2023.
Multiple replacements have been found for Tost, whose role will be split up under a new regime, and there are more changes coming for the Faenza-based team.
The Italian factory they currently work out of could become empty soon as Red Bull wants the team, which will come under a different name in 2024, closer to Milton Keynes where the reigning F1 champions are based.