Suzuka (Japan), Oct 8 (IANS): Formula One team AlphaTauri have announced Dutch driver Nyck de Vries will join the team from 2023, following the news that their current driver Pierre Gasly will be moving to Alpine to partner Esteban Ocon next season.

The 27-year-old De Vries has enjoyed Free Practice 1 (FP1) outings for Mercedes, Aston Martin and Williams in 2022, giving him plenty of mileage in the new generation of Formula 1 machinery, according to a report on formula1.com.

But with an unwell Thai-British driver Alex Albon ruled out of the Italian Grand Prix in September, De Vries was catapulted in at Williams, impressing everyone with a mature drive to P9 on his maiden outing.

AlphaTauri wasted little time in signing up the 2019 Formula 2 champion once it became clear that Gasly was keen to move on to a new team.

Speaking about stepping up to a full-time F1 race seat for the first time next season with AlphaTauri, De Vries said, "I'm extremely excited to be joining Scuderia AlphaTauri for 2023 and I want to thank both Red Bull and the team for giving me the opportunity to drive in F1.

"After Formula 2, I took a slightly different path with motorsport, but F1 has always been my dream and I'm grateful to be able to fulfil it. I've had a lot of chances to experience the 2022 car this year and I think that has put me in a great position for the upcoming season; I hope this has helped to prepare me for what is to come.

"Having spent most of my teenage years in Italy for karting, I've always felt at home there, so for me it's great to be joining an Italian team, that already has a real family feel, and I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and to start to build our relationship before the next season."