De Vries has "nothing else to do" to stake claim on 2023 Williams F1 seat

Mercedes reserve driver de Vries was called up by Williams shortly before the Italian Grand Prix's FP3 session to replace Alex Albon, who was taken ill with appendicitis.

The 2019 Formula 2 champion and 2020-21 Formula E title-winner immediately impressed by outqualifying Albon's regular team-mate Nicholas Latifi and, after a barrage of gird penalties, he started eighth alongside fellow Dutchman Max Verstappen.

De Vries backed that up with a flawless performance on Sunday, keeping his position in the midfield DRS train and successfully defending his position to clinch ninth, earning two valuable points for Williams.

The result matched Albon's best finish of the year and emphasised de Vries' credentials to take over Latifi's seat for 2023, with Capito acknowledging he has overdelivered.

PLUS: How de Vries' overdue F1 debut proved him worthy of a 2023 drive

When asked by Autosport if there is anything else de Vries can do to stake a claim for a seat next year, Capito suggested that the ball is now in his court.

"No, there is nothing else he has to do," Capito said. "He has other commitments as well, isn't it?

"He did an absolutely outstanding job and I rate him extremely highly. That's why my expectations are extremely high and he overfulfilled these.

"It's so difficult to get in that car to race for two hours and do the qualifying, and not doing any mistakes and not driving on its own.

"He had to defend, he had to attack. He had to get lapped and not do a mistake, then he had to do the pitstop. It's just so complicated, and it's an outstanding job."

Nyck de Vries, Williams FW44, Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo C42

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

With an Alpine seat also up for grabs, it remains to be seen whether Williams is de Vries' best possible opportunity for next year. The 27-year-old joked after the race that he "might need to prepare a Powerpoint" to sell his services, referencing George Russell's pitch to Williams that helped him secure a drive for 2019.

"And any time you get a chance to drive a Formula 1 car it is a kind of job interview and an audition," he added.

When pressed further on de Vries' availability for 2023, Capito said: "I don't know, you have to ask him what his contraction situations are.

"You've just seen how messy it can be, and we are not known for being messy.

"I'm not doing hypothetical things, so I'm only interested in facts. If the facts are there, then there might be solutions..."

De Vries is currently contracted to Toyota's World Endurance Championship squad as a reserve driver with a view to landing a racing seat in 2023 and has also been linked with a move to the Venturi-run Maserati Formula E team with his current team Mercedes pulling out of the electric championship and becoming McLaren.

He will be on call again in three weeks' time at the Singapore Grand Prix, in case Albon hasn't sufficiently recovered from his appendicitis surgery.

On Monday Williams announced Albon suffered from respiratory failure after the procedure, with the Thai driver having to spend time in intensive care.

But with Albon set to be discharged from hospital on Tuesday, the team hopes he will be able to recover in time.

"Alex's full focus is on recovery and preparation ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix later this month," it stated on Monday.