De Vries deserved to have “stars align” for F1 entry

The pair first came across each other in karting, although they were in different categories, as the older de Vries moved up the ranks first.

However, they raced each other in the 2018 FIA F2 championship, which Russell won ahead of Lando Norris, Alex Albon and de Vries.

De Vries was in talks with several F1 teams about a 2022 drive when his appearance as substitute for Albon at Williams in the Italian GP propelled him to the top of the list as a potential…