Formula 1: Who is Nyck de Vries making his F1 debut as Alex Albon awaits surgery

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Formula One: Team Williams on Saturday announced that Nyck de Vries will run behind the wheels of the Williams FW44 and make his Formula One debut in place of Alex Albon. Albon felt unwell on Saturday morning and is undergoing appendicitis treatment. Resultingly, Vries has been drafted in for the remainder of the Italian GP including the qualifying and Sunday race. 

Who is Nyck de Vries?

Nyck de Vries, a 27-year-old Dutch racer is a Mercedes EQ Formula E Team Race Driver and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Reserve Driver. He has driven for three different teams this season, all in practice sessions. He drove the Williams at the Spanish GP before replacing seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes at the French GP. The Dutch driver has recently run behind the wheel of Aston Martin in place of Sebastian Vettel at the Italian GP.

Nyck de Vries racing career?
Nyck de Vries has had a decorating racing career. He has tasted success in Formula 2 and Formula E, having won the Formula 2 title in 2019 with ART Grand Prix. He switched to Formula E in 2019/20 and became the champion in the 2020/21 season. 

It all started with his Karting days as he has had success both in local as well as International competitions. De Vries won the WSK World Series in the KF3 category and the German Junior Championship.
The Dutchman went on to win the Karting World Championship in 2010. De Vries moved up to the single-seaters in 2012 and raced in various Formula Renault 2.0 seasons. He also won the Euro Cup and Alps title in 2014. Vries joined the GP3 in 2016 and then got the ticket for Formula 2 in 2018. 

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Williams confirmed Alex Albon's absence
The Williams team took to Social media to confirm the news of Albon being replaced by Vries. "Williams Racing can confirm that, after feeling unwell this morning and seeking medical advice from the FIA and local hospital, Alex Albon is now undergoing treatment for appendicitis," Willaims team posted in a tweet. 

Their statement further added, Following on from this, we can confirm that the team’s Reserve Driver Nyck de Vries will drive in place of Alex for the remainder of the Italian Grand Prix weekend. Alex is in good spirits and the team wishes him a speedy recovery.