De Vries: Support from Hamilton and Russell 'meant the world to me'

F1 rookie Nyck de Vries has revealed how Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were both supportive of his impressive efforts that brought him a top-ten finish on his F1 debut at Monza last month.

De Vries was called up at the last hour by Williams to replace Alex Albon who had woken up on Saturday morning suffering from appendicitis.

The Dutchman only had one session to get up to speed before qualifying which he concluded P13. But grid penalties handed out to a multitude of drivers meant that he lined up in P8 on the grid on race day, alongside countryman Max Verstappen.

A flawless driver yielded a remarkable ninth-place finish at the checkered flag, and ultimately a contract to race for AlphaTauri in 2023.

Speaking on the latest Beyond the Grid podcast, de Vries opened up on the support and encouragement he received from Mercedes' drivers.

"Lewis actually sent me a message on Saturday night [in Monza] which was super kind," he recalled.

"Both Lewis and George congratulated me after the race and hugged me and everything.

"So, receiving their support meant the world to me, and it was very overwhelming to receive the support, not from the outside, but very much from the inside.

"They know what it takes, they know what it is, and to feel their goodwill was good."

• Read also: De Vries made the most of 'momentum and buzz' to secure F1 seat

Ahead of his F1 debut, on the grid at Monza, de Vries was given a big pat on the back and some precious words of encouragement from Verstappen.

Although they grew up in the same karting environment, the two flying Dutchmen had never shared a race together, until Monza.

"We've known each other since we were kids," added de Vries. "We've grown up in the same era of racing, we approached karting and racing in our earlier years [in a] very similar [way].

"We both travelled around in a van with our dads, and we just really respected each other, and saw each other every weekend pretty much.

"Strangely, because Max is two years younger than me, we never raced against each other - Monza was actually the first time in our lives.

"Ironically, we even ended up next to each other on the grid - we were texting about it the evening prior to the race.

"On the grid, he came to see me and, kind of as an elder brother, he came to me and encouraged me a little bit, which was very kind. He's been very supportive."

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