De Vries' AlphaTauri signing not credited to Verstappen, but his Monza performance - Tost

Mercedes' technical boss says it's "a shame" the Brackley-based team is losing Nyck de Vries.

The Dutchman, whose one-off debut for Williams this year was due to his role as Mercedes' official reserve, has been signed up by Red Bull's second team Alpha Tauri for 2023.

Franz Tost, Alpha Tauri boss, denies that Max Verstappen's recommendation that Red Bull snap up the 27-year-old rookie was the key to his 2023 signing.

"No, this was not necessary," he said, insisting that De Vries' debut drive at Monza was the real key.

"He drove a fantastic race, did not make any mistakes, therefore it was an easy decision to take him," added Tost.

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Mercedes must decide

The Austrian said he doubts De Vries might get an early start at AlphaTauri this year through Friday free practice outings.

"I don't think so because he still has a contract with another team," said Tost. "I hope that we can see him in Abu Dhabi in the young driver test."

That will be up to Mercedes.

"What I see is a really nice guy, but a guy that's very knowledgeable, who understands the sport, understands engineering in the car," Mercedes' technical boss Mike Elliot said.

"I think for us as a team, it's a shame to see him go somewhere else, but at the same time, we're really pleased for him. It's nice to see a driver with the talent he's got getting that opportunity."

Red Bull promotion?

De Vries may now be hoping that his AlphaTauri opportunity for 2023 might even result in a promotion to Red Bull Racing after that - pairing him with fellow Dutchman and friend Verstappen.

"It's nice for the Dutch press that two drivers from your country will soon be active," Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko