We are all aware of the ruthless outcome of AlphaTauri‘s, now-ex-driver, Nyck de Vries. After the first few races, De Vries received warnings for his poor performances from Red Bull’s Helmut Marko. We are sure the rookie Dutchman did not take the warning lightly and drove to please. However, please he could not and he faced the brutal and unforgiving axe of the Red Bull machine. However, while all Red Bull fingers are pointed at De Vries, an ex-teammate of Fernando Alonso is siding with the Dutchman.

Stoffel Vandoorne who drove alongside Alonso at McLaren had a short two-year stint in the premier class. However, that was enough for the Belgian driver to know the ins and outs of F1. This is why Vandoorne believes, as quoted by F1 Maximaal, De Vries is not to blame for his performances. Despite his distance from Red Bull the Dutch driver also commented on Red Bull’s ruthlessness.

“Either it goes very well, or it goes very badly,” says Vandoorne. “I think everyone expected great things from Nyck, but the car just didn’t perform at all. Then it is also a lot more difficult to stand out.”

“Unfortunately, he has had a very tough period. We also know what you can expect in the Red Bull camp: it often goes that way. But Nyck is still a great guy and I think he will find something else in motorsport,” added the Formula E driver.

Read More: “Extraordinary How Shameless Some People Are”: Debutant Nyck De Vries Gets Painfully Honest About F1 Fame

There might be some truth in Vandoorne’s assessment of Red Bull as the Austrian team was disrespectful toward De Vries, according to his manager. Even though the Spaniard has not addressed the situation, Alonso might agree with the ill-treatment, especially after he has curated the perfect teammate image around him.

Stepping away from his villain era, Fernando Alonso has become the perfect teammate

Alonso, throughout his F1 career, was regarded as one of the most difficult teammates on the grid. That was until he joined Aston Martin. The Spaniard completely changed this outlook with acts of charity toward his teammate. Alonso communicated his brake balance to Lance Stroll in one race and complimented his overtake in another. In fact, after the first race of the season, the Spaniard was full of praise for the Canadian.

Formula One F1 – Bahrain Grand Prix – Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain – March 5, 2023. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso celebrates after finishing third in the. Bahrain Grand Prix with sixth-placed Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

“Lance has shown speed, commitment, and a willingness to run, which he demonstrated earlier in the year when he did so with a broken hand. This is something that is not seen if you do not have a passion for running,” praised Alonso.

Now, we are not sure about what brought this change. However, one thing is for sure, it has caught everyone by surprise.

Perhaps Alonso wants to leave the sport with a different mindset and narrative around him. Taking the young Stroll under his wing and making him a better driver will definitely count as acts of charity. Let’s see if Alonso can become a successful mentor to Stroll.

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