Formula 1 driver Nyck de Vries says it is “not a shock” to hear speculation he could be replaced at AlphaTauri after making many mistakes in his rookie season so far.
The Formula Two and Formula E champion is currently bottom of the championship, tied with Williams rookie Logan Sargeant as the pair are yet to score a point after five laps.
When Red Bull reserve driver and eight-time Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo finally carried out a seat adjustment at AlphaTauri earlier this month, as is usual for a reserve driver, rumors about de Vries’ future began to simmer.
De Vries: Speculations “are quite normal” at Red Bull
Ahead of this weekend’s race in Monaco, de Vries addressed the speculation about the security of his place on the grid, admitting it came as no “shock” to hear about the uncertainty. He says: “Yes [ich fühle mich mit meinem Platz sicher]. It’s not a shock to me either. It is totally normal.”
“It’s this industry. It’s always been like that at Red Bull and in Formula 1. I really think it’s no different than at the beginning of the season. You always have to perform, you always have to deliver. That was in mine It’s been like that throughout your career. As a driver, you’re always struggling to survive and you always have to perform to continue your career successfully. That’s normal. It’s always been like that.”
Marko on de Vries: “Not what we expected”
In a YouTube video on the ‘Formel1.de’ channel, Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko commented on the performance of de Vries as follows: “As you rightly say, the performance of Nyck de Vries is not what it was we expected from him.”
“He’s three tenths behind Yuki on average [Tsunoda]. And what’s more, he’s had more and more crashes in the last few races. Of course we’re monitoring the situation, but from all the rumours… He’s, he’s not counted [und es gibt] no ultimatum.”
“But we are monitoring the situation and if necessary, we will react in whatever form. And there are calls from TV commentators and the like. So in no way that would affect us in any way.”
De Vries: The pressure is no greater than before
De Vries adds that he tried to avoid the reports but that news about his future had leaked out. In addition, the Dutchman continues to resist the impression of increased pressure and suspects that the larger Formula 1 audience is responsible for the increased scrutiny of his AlphaTauri position.
He says: “I honestly don’t think the pressure is any greater than at any other time. The only difference in Formula 1 is that you have a lot more noise around you. Especially when there’s a little gap, there’s more speculation and talk. That’s probably the biggest difference compared to other championships. But when it comes to the job, everyone has to do their job and perform.”
De Vries has also been known for frequent accidents. In qualifying in Azerbaijan, he crashed at turn three before hitting the wall at turn five and having to retire. He also collided with McLaren driver Lando Norris in Miami.
De Vries admits: I made too many mistakes
De Vries does not want to hide these mistakes and says: “I definitely think that I personally made too many mistakes. I will admit that openly. I also believe that the pace was strong in some moments and that encourages me and gives confidence. But I wasn’t able to execute it and put it together at the end. But I think the pace was there.”
When looking at the data provided to us by the technology company ‘PACETEQ’, the team duel at AlphaTauri is clear so far. In qualifying, de Vries is almost three tenths behind Tsunoda, in the race it’s almost four and a half tenths per lap.