13/07/2023
NEWS STORY
Helmut Marko has explained why Nyck de Vries had to go, the Austrian claiming that after ten races the team wasn't seeing any improvement.
Not for nothing do we refer to Marko as Red Bull's Lord High Executioner, for the Austrian has a fearsome, no nonsense reputation when it comes to hiring and especially firing.
While he was the driving force behind the Red Bull young driver programme which nurtured the careers of dozens of up and coming youngsters, he was also the one who eventually called time on their careers.
Even being a countryman of Marko's didn't help Christian Klien, who was dumped by Red Bull with three rounds of the 2006 season remaining, thereby setting a trend that continues to this day.
While fans celebrate the return of Daniel Ricciardo, the fact is that Nyck de Vries' career lies in tatters.
"We contracted Nyck because he performed great at Monza last year," Marko tells De Telegraaf. "We expected him to be at least equal to his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda this year, but that was not the case.
"Actually, he was always three-tenths of a second slower," he adds. "We didn't see any improvement."
While some, including fellow drivers, have argued that other than having what is seemingly the worst car on the grid, de Vries has only had ten races in which to prove himself. This cuts no ice with Marko.
"He is 28 years old, has a lot of experience," he says of the 2019 F2 champion and two-time Karting world champion, "and has also been able to gain a lot of knowledge as a test driver in various Formula 1 cars.
"You can't compare him to a young rookie in my eyes. At the end of April in Baku, he started the weekend well and I thought he was going to perform better, but then he crashed again. He, unfortunately, didn't do one super lap that we were amazed by.
"We had to do something," he insists. "Why should we wait and what do two more races matter if you don't see any improvement? Nyck is a very pleasant guy, but the speed just wasn't there."
Asked if there remains a future for the youngster in F1, Marko further twists the knife. "It will be difficult, I think," he says. "But at the same time, I do think he saw this coming. I think he can build a nice career in long-distance racing."
Referring to Ricciardo's test on Tuesday, following which the Australian's return to the grid was confirmed, Marko says: "His lap times were competitive, on three different tyre sets.
"Had Ricciardo not had the speed, we would have had to consider something else," he adds.
"But AlphaTauri is not in a good position and is last in the constructors' standings, so we have to do something to bring something about. That often happens after a driver change, Ricciardo brings new energy to the team."