19 July 2023 , 15:31
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Nyck de Vries did not criticise Red Bull over the outcome of the 2021 Formula 1 title race in the wake of his AlphaTauri axing, his manager has insisted.
The Dutch racer was dismissed by the team after the British Grand Prix earlier this month. It was only his 10th F1 race with AlphaTauri and 11th overall, but still Red Bull chiefs decided they had seen enough.
De Vries has been quiet in the wake of his departure from the grid. There were some quotes, however, which were attributed to him in the days after Daniel Ricciardo was called in to replace him.
The supposed 'quotes' were critical of Red Bull, regarding the 2021 title race which was won by Max Verstappen at the expense of his Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton.
Those reports claimed De Vries had said he was disappointed about his AlphaTauri exit but "not surprised" about how ruthless Red Bull had been. He was also reported to have said that they had "stolen Lewis Hamilton's eighth title".
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However, those quotes cannot have come from De Vries as he has yet to publicly break his silence on his departure. That was confirmed by his manager Guillaume Le Goff, who threatened legal action against those publications which attributed the quotes to the 28-year-old.
"Nyck has spoken to absolutely no one since the news of Red Bull, not even to any Italian media," Le Goff told F1 Insider, adding: "The news is fake and a defamation. Obviously someone wanted to make a name for himself – in any case, we reserve the right to take further legal action."
Hamilton lost the 2021 title to Verstappen in controversial circumstances (AFP via Getty Images)Regarding any actual statement, he went on to add that De Vries is planning to release something soon. Le Goff added: "There will be an official statement from Nyck later this week but, until then, we still have to sort out a few things."
One of those things which needs sorting is likely to be De Vries' motorsport future. While his F1 career looks to be over just a few months after it truly began, a return to Formula E looks like it may be on the cards.
De Vries won the 2021 FE title with Mercedes, but the German carmaker no longer competes in the series. Instead, it is understood Nissan hope to bag the former champion to partner Sacha Fenestraz next year, with Norman Nato not retained by the team.