Nyck de Vries’ firing from AlphaTauri was a surprise for everyone. The Dutchman was a Formula E driver and got his breakthrough in Formula 1 this season alongside Yuki Tsunoda. Nyck went on to drive for ten races this season for the AlphaTauri team after his time as a reserve driver for Mercedes.
Before the Hungarian Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo replaced Nyck at AlphaTauri. Daniel Ricciardo was first rumored to take Sergio Perez’s seat during his time as a reserve driver for Red Bull. But Helmut Marko’s statement made it clear that Sergio would not lose his seat.
However, after Nyck’s poor performance compared to his teammate, it was clear where Daniel Ricciardo would be taking his place for the season. With the news of Nyck’s departure, ex-drivers had come out saying that Nyck’s departure was too harsh and brutal. On the other hand, Helmut Marko seems to think otherwise about the decision that was made.
Helmut Marko says firing Nyck de Vries was necessary
Helmut Marko was asked if he also thought his decision was too brutal or harsh. But Helmut Marko had everything thought through before he fired the Formula E champion. For Marko, Nyck’s performance was not up to par even after not being a junior in the field.
Helmut told Motorsport Total, “What’s brutal about it if the performance isn’t right? We gave him a chance. And there are only 20 Formula 1 drivers. Not everyone can become that.”
Marko then commented on how after being a champion in Formula E and Formula 2 he could not perform well enough. According to Mark, Nyck de Vries could not put up a fight for his spot even after being well-trained in all the Mercedes chassis. For Helmut, giving Nyck two more races at Spa and Budapest was “incomprehensible” since he wasn’t performing already.
Helmut Marko added, “That’s why other standards apply to him. He’s no longer a junior,”
🗣️| Marko on Nyck de Vries sacking – “What is brutal about it if the performance is not right?”
“We gave him a chance and there are only 20 Formula 1 drivers not everyone can be”
Citing de Vries’ age – Marko commented: “That’s why different standards apply to him as he is no… pic.twitter.com/BSSzNZKlsm
— RBR News 🇳🇱🇲🇽 (@redbulletin) July 28, 2023
He made it clear that Nyck failed to take the opportunity given to him. Helmut then said that the AlphaTauri team was quite happy with Daniel Riccairdo’s comeback. The team has been smiling again and they have seen good results from him on his first race after a half off-season.
Meanwhile, the Dutchman has stayed off the grid for a while including his disappearance from social media, he has been spotted a few times with his ex-boss and at Max’s stepdaughter’s birthday.