Nyck de Vries signs with AlphaTauri, becoming second Dutch driver in Formula 1

Max Verstappen will be joined by a second Dutch driver in next season's Formula 1. Nyck de Vries, 27, will compete for AlphaTauri, according to the NOS.

De Vries will replace Pierre Gasly on the racing team. AlphaTauri is the sister team of Red Bull Racing, where Verstappen made his debut in 2015, according to the NOS.

"F1 has always been my dream. I am grateful that I can make that dream come true," said DeVries.

Franz Tost, team principal of AlphaTauri, said De Vries "is a very talented driver. He is fast, professional and knows what it is like to win races and titles. I can't wait to see him in our car."

The Formula 1 deal is a momentous occasion for De Vries, who made his debut at the Italian Grand Prix in September as a last-minute stand-in for Williams racer Alex Albon. De Vries then finished in ninth place and was voted driver of the day by F1 fans.

The 27-year-old driver has often seemed close to a Formula 1 deal, with successes in both Formula 2 and Formula E, the NOS reports. Despite early triumphs as a teenage karter, he did not develop as quickly as experts expected. After he stepped in for Albon, however, De Vries gained two World Cup points and "suddenly had a choice," according to NOS reporter Louis Dekker.

Dekker called the choice a "luxury problem." His choice of AlphaTauri made sense, because "team principal Tost is the man who prepared Max Verstappen for the big job. De Vries will now become part of the Red Bull family, will even share the guest house with Max Verstappen and will soon have a reliable Honda power source that performs very well."

It is the first time two Dutch drivers are in Formula 1 since 2006, according to De Telegraaf.