Nyck de Vries faced the harsh reality of F1 following his AlphaTauri sacking after just 10 races. This news came as a major shock not only to many F1 fans but also to the Dutchman himself. Now that Red Bull has let go of him, de Vries provided an insight into the betrayal that derailed his F1 career.
De Vries has not performed up to standards, especially when compared to his teammate Yuki Tsunoda. Hence, it’s fair to say that he cannot have a lot of complaints regarding Red Bull and AlphaTauri undervaluing his contribution. Despite competing in 10 races so far this season, he didn’t come close to scoring any points. Tsunoda meanwhile, got two points on board for the Faenza-based team with a couple of P10 finishes.
In stark contrast, AlphaTauri’s new recruit Daniel Ricciardo was mightily impressive in his very first outing this year during his Silverstone testing session. The Australian driver managed to set a blistering lap that was just seven tenths off the time Max Verstappen registered for pole position at the British Grand Prix, according to Lawrence Barretto.
Since Ricciardo was so impressive, all eyes are likely to be on him when he competes in his first race of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend. As for De Vries, he will now suffer the same fate as Ricciardo did at the end of 2022. Now that Red Bull has sacked the 2019 F2 champion, he has revealed some interesting secrets about the team.
Nyck de Vries reveals Red Bull promised him Sergio Perez’s seat
In a recent interview, Nyck de Vries slammed Red Bull for seemingly betraying him after they prematurely sacked him despite a promise they made earlier. When asked about the same, he replied (as quoted by formula1news.co.uk), “It took me completely by surprise. I wasn’t expecting it“.
He then revealed the shocking promises the team had made to him at the time of his signing by adding, “I signed a multi-year contract. And was promised the second Red Bull seat in 2025!” Considering the 28-year-old’s recent remarks, it just highlights how quickly times can change for an F1 driver when their performances drop.
De Vries’ sacking will undoubtedly send a message to Sergio Perez if his recent struggles continue. The Mexican driver has failed to make it to Q3 in each of his last five races and has fallen a whopping 99 points behind teammate Max Verstappen.
Perez is now in his third season with Red Bull, and knows how ruthless his team can be when it comes to sacking drivers. Plus, the brutal removal of De Vries was just a reminder about the same. After parting ways with the Dutchman, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko explained what they were thinking when they made the decision.
In an interview with De Telegraaf (as quoted by formula1news.co.uk), the 80-year-old explained that there was no point in giving De Vries two more races until the summer break since he was not improving. Additionally, Red Bull’s team principal Chrisitan Horner was never happy about the Dutch driver joining AlphaTauri in the first place.
Horner reveals he always had reservations
In a recent conversation on the F1 Nation podcast, Christian Horner provided insights into why they decided to sack Nyck de Vries and replace him with Daniel Ricciardo. He began by explaining how he always had reservations about signing him since he does not fit into the team’s young driver program.
However, Horner did give the 28-year-old the credit where it was due. The British team principal stated that De Vries is undoubtedly a “very capable driver” because he has proven his worth by winning both the Formula 2 and Formula E championships. And while Ricciardo may not fit the team’s junior program either, Horner explained how Red Bull has bigger plans for him.
The 49-year-old stated that the team will evaluate Ricciardo’s progress, and then make a call on whether he will drive for Red Bull in 2024. This could mean that Sergio Perez’s seat is in danger because of his recent underperformances.
