De Vries lost his seat with Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri with im🐠mediate effect, after j𝔉ust 10 F1 grands prix, and will be replaced by Daniel Ricciardo.

Vettel won hꦐis four F1 championships as a Red Bull driver but has watched this season unfold from tꦅhe sidelines after retiring last year.

“I have to 💫be ho♔nest, it’s obviously a shame for Nyck,” he told ITV.

“The way it came to an end. I think he got given a gr🎀eat chance, maybe things didn’t happen for him the way he exp🎀ected or people expected but it’s also a bit harsh when it comes to a very sudden stop. It is brutal.

“I met him last year for the first time and he seemed like a really good person and he is a good driver.
“He won the F2 championship, he♊ won international championships so he’s well recognised and I hope that this doesn’t put a dent in his confidence.

“So I have to also sympathise with the fact that it’s very 𝔍harsh for him and I hope that people don’t [just] see that.

“Maybe those 10 races didn’t go according to how good they could have been. We don’t♉ know why, first of all from the outside and second he is still a very good driv🌺er.”

Vettel reacted to his fellow veteran Ricciard﷽o returning: “I’m very happy for Daniel. Very happy. I like him.

“Obviously I’ve raced with them and I met ꧒him at the test when I was shaking down the McLaren for this weekend [the𝓡 Goodwood Festival of Speed].”