“That’s Up to Me”: Nyck De Vries Stands Up to Helmut Marko’s Disapproving Comments as AlphaTauri Seat Comes Under Threat

It has been a rollercoaster ride for Nyck de Vries in F1. His rookie season performances have been below par and he has scored 0 points in 8 races so far. While a part of the blame also goes to a slow AlphaTauri car, he has been inconsistent too. Unfortunately for him, the team that he is in has zero tolerance for inconsistent performers. Red Bull Advisor Helmut Marko has publicly criticized de Vries for not performing well. But surprisingly, the Dutch racer clapped back at those statements.

We all know how things are for underperforming drivers in the Red Bull teams. It’s all or nothing for them. Despite having an F2 championship and a Formula E title to his name, de Vries is unable to get a foothold in F1. Marko had said that Christian Horner did not approve of de Vries joining AlphaTauri. And now, Marko has revealed Horner’s comments about how the Red Bull TP was not a fan of De Vries. The 28-year-old Dutchman has now responded to it.

According to De Telegraaf, de Vries said, “I think Dr Marko will appreciate it if I can prove him wrong, That’s up to me. This is also part of Formula 1. It’s all about performance, that’s not from today or yesterday. That’s how it works in this world and I’m prepared for that too. So it’s no surprise in that regard. It’s my job to do the best I can on the track, again this weekend. That’s what I focus on. That’s the only thing I can influence.” [translated via Google]

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While the management team criticizes him, his teammate has provided much-needed support during such a period of struggle.

Nyck de Vries Finds Support From His Teammate Yuki Tsunoda

Yuki Tsunoda had a decent rookie season at AlphaTauri. He scored points in his debut race at Bahrain, securing P9. But unlike him, his current rookie teammate, Nyck de Vries is struggling to find a footing in the AT04. Sympathizing with him, Tsunoda had words of encouragement to offer to de Vries.

Tsunoda said, as quoted by MSN, “I think the pace is there, so he just needs to find a good rhythm because so far in most of the races probably he struggled a lot in terms of consistency. I think in the end he’ll get there because in past races and past results, with what he achieved he’s showing that he can do it, so I’m sure he’ll get there.”

de Vries has a rich past in terms of victories in F2 and Formula E. If he can make maximum use of this opportunity in F1, his seat might be safe for at least another year. His next opportunity comes at parent-team Red Bull’s home turf in Austria.

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