Red Bull Boss Hits Out at Nyck de Vries With ‘Not a Candidate’ Comment After Brutally Firing Him

Halfway through the 2023 season, Red Bull and AlphaTauri decided to part ways with Dutch driver Nick de Vries due to his inconsistent performances. De Vries has been replaced by Daniel Ricciardo at the team and has seemingly cut ties with the Austrian squad. Despite this, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner took yet another brutal dig at their former driver as reported by Race Express. 

Nick de Vries joined AlphaTauri at the start of the 2023 season to replace Pierre Gasly. He ended up being a part of the Faenza-based outfit for just six months, and it was majorly underwhelming. A constant string of inconsistent performances led to his sacking. Former Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo made a return to the Italian squad to replace him.

De Vries’ unexpected departure drew a lot of backlash, with many questioning the reasoning behind such a decision, especially since the 2019 F2 champion was just six months into his rookie F1 year. The team’s decision to let de Vries go without giving a clear reason sparked rumors and criticism. A lot of this was aimed at Helmut Marko and team principal Christian Horner.

Christian Horner’s Comments on Nyck de Vries’ Firing

Christian Horner recently admitted that de Vries was never even considered a candidate for the Red Bull seat, as his performance fell short of the team’s expectations. Horner’s comments have sparked further controversy about the Red Bull junior program, which is supposed to provide young drivers with a pathway into F1.

He said, “The initial idea of AlphaTauri and Toro Rosso was to train drivers for Red Bull Racing. With Nyck de Vries it didn’t feel like he was a real Red Bull candidate. That is why the question arose. Does it make sense that we continue with him for longer?”

Not only has Christian Horner confirmed Sergio Perez’s place at Red Bull for 2024, but he could extend his stay even further…#SergioPerez #RedBull #F1 #Formula1 https://t.co/p4wv9mzZSe

— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) August 21, 2023

Horner’s comments suggest that de Vries was fired because he didn’t meet the criteria set by the program. De Vries impressed Marko and Co. at the 2022 Italian GP where he filled in as Alex Albon’s replacement for Williams. However, it does seem that him being from the Mercedes drivers’ program instead of Red Bull’s, cut his F1 stint with AlphaTauri short.

On the other hand, Daniel Ricciardo returning to the F1 grid, could alter up Red Bull’s line-up in the coming year.

De Vries’ departure could shape Sergio Perez’s F1 future

Now that Ricciardo has replaced de Vries at AlphaTauri, new rumors surrounding the Red Bull line-up have surfaced. Sergio Perez is under immense pressure at Red Bull. He improved his performances in the last two races leading up to the summer break. However, at one point, he failed to take the RB19 into Q3 for five races in a row. This lead to speculations surrounding the Guadalajara-born driver’s F1 future with Red Bull.

Regardless, Horner and Marko insist that Perez’s seat at Red Bull is safe for now. Speaking to Speedcafe, he said that team is satisfied with Perez’s performance. He even indicated that Red Bull may extend Perez’s Contract if he delivers as per their expectations.

“In 2025, it is good to always have all options. As long as Sergio Perez performs, we will stay with him,” the 49-year-old stated.

Perez is currently 125 points behind his teammate Max Verstappen. After the first four races, the Mexican driver was at par with Verstappen, with two wins apiece Unfortunately, his form took a massive dip after the Miami GP. Perez seemingly lost his confidence behind the wheel. However, for the second half of the season, he will desperately be hoping for improvements.