If you think the pressure was easing on AlphaTauri rookie Nyck de Vries, think again.
Helmut Marko turns up the heat on Nyck de Vries
Just when it looked like De Vries was safe, the seat seems to be warm again
Photo by Gongora/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
Because Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko seems to have upped the ante a bit.
Speaking with Kunal Shah on the Inside Line F1 Podcast, the Red Bull advisor discussed De Vries, and in particular noted that the AlphaTauri rookie is one example of Marko and Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner not agreeing on a particular driver.
And, as Marko noted, at the moment it seems like Horner was right:
Marko first put De Vries on notice a few weeks ago, when he noted that the rookie driver had been given the “yellow card” for a run of poor performances. “Nothing will happen in the next three races,” Marko confirmed to F1-Insider.com. “We have spoken to De Vries and he is of the same opinion as we are: He has to improve. The gap to team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, who is doing a great job, is too big.”
“To use footballer’s language: Nick got the yellow card, but not the red one yet. If he improves, a change of driver will not be an issue.”
De Vries put in a better performance at the Monaco Grand Prix, advancing to Q2 and finishing 12th in the Grand Prix, his best finish of the year. But since then he posted a P14 in the Spanish Grand Prix, and then a P18 in the Canadian Grand Prix.
His performance in Monaco was, according to Marko, his best result in F1. “This was by far his best weekend for AlphaTauri,” Marko told Motorsport.com. “Nyck was much closer to Yuki than before. This is what I want to see from him.”
However, given the results since then, and Marko’s recent comments, it seems the pressure is back on for De Vries.
You can listen to the entire Inside Line F1 Podcast episode with Marko here:
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