Nyck de Vries is 'close' to be offered a F1 seat with Alpha Tauri who could sign the 27-year-old under the noses of a hesitant Williams.
The former Formula 2 and Formula E champion finished ninth in the Italian Grand Prix picking up two championship points after stepping in as a last minute replacement for Williams driver Alex Albon, who was ruled out with appendicitis.
Williams are yet to agree a deal with De Vries for the 2023 season and De Telegraph state that once current Alpha Tauri driver Pierre Gasly has sealed his move to Alpine, the Dutch driver will be signed as his replacement.
De Vries began the race weekend in Monza testing for Aston Martin before receiving a late call-up by Williams after the withdrawal of Albon. Despite having to swap car the talented Dutch driver humiliated fellow Williams driver Nicholas Latifi at Monza and surpassed the Canadian's points total for the season.
Albon is the only Williams driver signed for next season and many expected De Vries to replace Latifi next season. However, this could now be in doubt as Alpha Tauri are 'close' to moving in.
Alpine were also impressed with De Vries' debut drive and are believed to also have him on their shortlist of candidates to partner Esteban Ocon next year if their Gasly move breaks down.
Earlier this week De Vries was reportedly spotted meeting Helmut Marko in Austria. The Red Bull adviser is the leader of the team's driver development programme, and has a big say in which drivers are given a place at the sister team AlphaTauri.
"Ultimately, it's not up to me to decide whether I should have a seat or not," said De Vries after the Italian Grand Prix. "Of course, I can only do my job.
"We live in a competitive industry, so you're as good as your last race, and you're always expected to perform – luckily I did that this weekend and I grabbed this opportunity with both hands."
