F1 News: Nyck de Vries Receives More Bad News As Red Bull Advisor Issues Bold Statement
In a recent development that’s hitting AlphaTauri driver Nyck de Vries hard, Red Bull motorsport advisor, Helmut Marko, expressed discontent with de Vries’ performance.
Previously, Marko had advocated for the Dutch driver joining the team, while team chief Christian Horner had opposed it. In hindsight, Marko now agrees that Horner’s stance was correct.
Speaking to Austria’s Kleine Zeitung, Marko further underlined his dissatisfaction with de Vries’ performance this season. Marko pointed out, “Yuki is having a very good season with unfortunate results and some penalties, but his performance is good. About him [Nyck de Vries], we are not satisfied, we are also looking at that.”
Currently, the Italian team languishes at the bottom of the constructors’ championship table, having secured only two points – all earned by Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda. The 2023 season hasn’t seen de Vries garnering any points, making him one of the two drivers to hold that unfortunate distinction.
Hopes had been pinned high on the Dutch driver after he had displayed a promising start in the 2022 Italian Grand Prix. A last-minute replacement for Alex Albon at Williams – who had been rushed to hospital due to appendicitis – de Vries, despite the lack of prep time, succeeded in scoring two points on his debut.
The promising debut created a wave of anticipation, with rumours of multiple teams keen on offering him a seat for 2023. Eventually, it turned out that de Vries had signed up with AlphaTauri, following Pierre Gasly’s departure for Alpine.
Unfortunately, de Vries’ subsequent performances have not met expectations, fueling speculation that his contract might not see an extension by year’s end.
