Star Red Bull driver Sergio Perez has come under immense pressure recently because he failed to reach Q3 in five consecutive races. The Mexican had another disastrous outing at Silverstone since he was knocked out in Q1 on this occasion. Even though the pressure is on the 33-year-old, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko believes that he still performs better than Nyck de Vries.
The 28-year-old Dutchman has had a disastrous 2023 season, as he is the only driver who has not registered a point so far. And his performances do not seem to get better either.
📰: Alpha Tuari has been fined ₦4.3 million (€5,000) for the Un-safe release involving Nyck De Vries and Oscar Piastri. #F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/bFuvMwwfOM
— F1 Naija 🇳🇬 (@f1_naija) July 8, 2023
De Vries was not only the slowest driver in Q1 but was a whopping 0.5 seconds slower than AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who qualified in 18th. If the Dutchman does not start delivering soon, he could be at risk of losing his seat.
“He performs well, in contrast to…“: Helmut Marko on Sergio Perez
Shortly after Sergio Perez failed to make Q3 again, Helmut Marko gave his thoughts on the Red Bull driver’s performance. While speaking to Sky Germany, he savagely took a huge dig at Nyck de Vries by stating, “There’s no one available who could replace Perez. He performs well in the races, in contrast to Nyck de Vries“.
Dr Helmut Marko on Sky Germany about Sergio Perez:
“There’s no-one available who could replace Perez. He performs well in the races, in contrast to Nyck de Vries.”#F1 #BritishGP
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 8, 2023
Considering Marko’s remarks, it is fair to say that Perez’s spot at Red Bull is safe for now. And when it comes to De Vries, it seems inevitable that he will lose his seat if his performances do not improve quickly.
Who can Red Bull replace Nyck de Vries with?
According to Helmut Marko’s recent remarks, it seems that Red Bull may not even wait until Nyck de Vries’ home Grand Prix at Zandvoort to replace him. When asked by Viaplay in a recent interview whether the Dutch driver will take part in his home race, Marko replied (as quoted by nl.motorsport.com) with a laugh, “When is Zandvoort?”
The Austrian stated that he will only be able to inform the media about the same when the Dutch Grand Prix weekend is underway. Hence, it seems that Red Bull can decide about De Vries’ future during the summer break, as the Dutch GP will take place on August 27.
Regarding who can replace DeVries, it seems Red Bull already has a driver in mind. According to reports, Red Bull is considering poaching McLaren’s reserve driver Alex Palou.
Palou is a former GP3 driver who won the IndyCar series in 2021. With just a few weeks remaining for the Dutch GP, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for both De Vries and Sergio Perez.
