Williams Racing finished with a rare points finish thanks to Nyck de Vries in round sixteen of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, at the Italian Grand Prix.
Alex Albon was diagnosed with appendicitis on the day of qualifying, meaning that the former Formula 2 and Formula E World Champion had to finish the race weekend at very short notice.
De Vries out-qualified his team-mate and made it through to the second part of qualifying, but he started in the top ten due to grid penalties. Expectations were not too high pre-race given that it was his debut, but his performance has definitely helped him in his mission to secure a full-time Formula 1 racing seat.
The young driver found himself in a DRS train for most of the race, showing a great display of confidence and composure to finish the race in a point scoring position. At the end of the Grand Prix, the Dutchman was voted ‘Driver Of The Day after equalling Williams’ best finish of the season.
“I’m feeling really good about today and think it was crucial to get the start right and a clean run into lap one. I got into a DRS train which helped to stick with the pack, however I think the pace was really good and we made a good call on strategy and tyre management.
“Driver of the day makes me so happy and I’m very pleased and thankful that I got given the opportunity and I grabbed it with both hands.
“It was a great day for the team and whilst grid penalties played in our favour, ultimately, we did a great race so I’m very happy for everyone in the team and for myself.
“Hopefully I will get a shot next year, but this is definitely a dream come true and I’m very impressed with what we’ve done in short notice, so I’ll go enjoy it now.“
