Max Verstappen Places AlphaTauri Weight on Nyck de Vries’ Shoulders With High Expectations

The 2022 Italian Grand Prix at Monza will always be a race to remember for Nyck de Vries. The Dutchman not only got a shot at something that he work towards all his life with Williams, but he also got his much-needed experience to move ahead with a new chance, coming up next year with AlphaTauri. As the testing time arrives for de Vries, his compatriot Max Verstappen puts the weight of his team on him with high expectations.

The former Mercedes reserve driver will start his first-ever full F1 season alongside Yuki Tsunoda. As the 27-year-old gears up to showcase his talent, Verstappen believes he’s up to the task Helmut Marko has given him.

In an interview with Motorsport.com, Verstappen said, “I think Nyck also feels the car pretty well, and that’s exactly what AlphaTauri needs. Of course, they lose Pierre there and because of that, they need someone with experience in general again. Someone who can get in the car and hopefully lead them in the right direction soon.”

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“After Monza, I don’t think there was any discussion at all. And I must also say: Helmut is also the man you just put in the car if he likes something, while other teams are often a bit more careful about that. But that’s also the beauty of Red Bull. Anyway, I know Nyck very well, so this is nothing but nice,” the Red Bull star further stated.

The bond that Nyck de Vries and Max Verstappen shared growing up

Nyck de Vries, who replaced Alpine-bound Pierre Gasly at AlphaTauri, once talked about his friendship with the Red Bull driver. During an interview with F1’s Beyond The Grid podcast, de Vries revealed that he has known Max ever since they were kids.

“We’ve known each other since we were kids. We’ve grown up in the same era of racing. We – I think – approached karting and racing in our earlier years very similarly,” said de Vries, who often showers praise on Verstappen.

De Vries also shared that the two drivers often traveled with their fathers to the race destinations together. Even though they didn’t race each other since Verstappen was younger than him.

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With the years of experience that Nyck de Vries has gained in his racing career, he should be the perfect fit to go for the AlphaTauri cockpit. It’ll be interesting to see if he can surpass Gasly with his performance, but as Verstappen believes, de Vries is a good fit and can help the Red Bull sister team with all of his talents.