Vips not the first driver to be sidelined after statements

Dan Ticktum

Daniel Ticktum has a reputation for not mincing his words and that has not helped his chances in Formula 1. While a Formula 2 driver, he was also under contract to the Williams F1 team, having previously been expelled from the Red Bull Racing academy for poor results.

During a stream on Twitch, the hot-tempered Briton let loose about Nicholas Latifi and the fact that he had paid for his seat. In the same breath, he called former Williams driver Nico Rosberg a "cheat". Ticktum later claimed that Williams had already parted ways with him as a development driver before his statements.

Robin Frijns

Robin Frijns seemed well on his way to a Formula 1 seat in 2012. During the Young Driver Test after the season he was allowed to drive for Sauber on one day and for Red Bull Racing on the other, but the day before he would have been scathing about Red Bull. The man from Maastricht had already said no twice to the Austrian racing team's training programme because drivers were treated 'like dogs'.

According to Frijns, the quotes were completely taken out of context, but he admitted that it was not wise to be critical of a team that gave him the chance to drive a Formula 1 car. He could no longer count on the support of Red Bull, but his commitment to Sauber also came to nothing.

Nyck de Vries

Nyck de Vries was in his second year in Formula 2 in 2018, when he came out with some big news during a broadcast of Formula 1 Café on Ziggo Sport: he allegedly had it in black and white that McLaren had offered him a seat for the following season. CEO Zak Brown reacted indignantly to the statements of the Dutchman and denied that any commitment had been made.

A few months later, McLaren announced that they were not considering the driver from Sneek for a seat in F1 and it never happened. Whether this was a direct result of De Vries' statements is unclear, but it will not have helped his chances at McLaren.