Formula 1: De Vries has hot ears, AlphaTauri can act fast
Formula 1
De Vries has hot ears, AlphaTauri can act fast
Author of disappointing performances, Dutchman Nyck de Vries could see his Formula 1 days numbered if he didn’t turn around. For him, time is running out.
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Nic de Vries, under pressure from his superiors.
IMAGO / HochZwei
Nyck de Vries is off to a terrifying start to the season driving his AlphaTauri. Not only is his car one of the worst ever, but the Dutchman also makes a lot of mistakes. What do we talk about in the specialized press about his future in Formula 1.
In Australia and Saudi Arabia, de Vries finished in fourteenth place. In Australia, he had to retire, after being hit by Logan Sargeant, while in Azerbaijan, he single-handedly sent his car into the wall. Even worse, he also crashed in qualifying the day before. Finally, he finished again from the points by finishing 18th at the last Grand Prix, in Miami.
All this while teammate Yuki Tsunoda showed regularity on the accelerator, finishing each time in 10th or 11th place. Tsunoda who wanted to defend his teammate last weekend: “We only had four races and that’s nothing. It’s nothing compared to my rookie season, where I had a harder time racing.
If empathy is a good thing at Tsunoda, it appears that is not the case in the Red Bull Racing group hierarchy. On Thursday, the specialist website Motorsport announced that the Italian company had given de Vries an ultimatum.
Why such a rush?
The very fragile Helmut Marko, 80 and head of Red Bull’s young bud development programme, would give de Vries three races to find a level befitting of the name. Otherwise, his seat could be taken by New Zealander Liam Lawson or … Daniel Ricciardo!
But why is he so impatient with Nyck de Vries, who is only living his first season as a Formula 1 regular? Simply because the holder of the number 21 is not a beginner in motorsport. At 28, he has experienced Formula 2, Formula E and Formula 1 by getting his hands on the wheel of no fewer than four teams, and he’s been a development driver for Mercedes for three years.
Before the season started, we thought it would be him, AlphaTauri’s No. 1. Just after signing his contract last season, de Vries announced that he could bring “maturity” to his new team. A thinly veiled spear towards Yuki Tsunoda, who currently makes him swallow his words with tenths in the teeth.
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