(Reuters) – AlphaTauri’s Nyck de Vries said he was determined to prove Helmut Marko wrong after the Red Bull motorsport head fuelled speculation about the under-fire Dutch rookie’s Formula One future.
De Vries is one of only two drivers yet to score this season, with a best result of 12th in eight races for the Red Bull-owned team.
Japanese team mate Yuki Tsunoda has twice finished 10th for his team’s only points.
Marko, who oversees Red Bull’s driver development programme and is famed for a ‘shooting-from-the-hip’ approach to interviews, was asked whether he and Red Bull team boss Christian Horner ever disagreed about driver signings.
“Not often, but sometimes we do. The last one… I would say De Vries,” he told ‘The Inside Line’ podcast.
“He (Horner) was not a fan of De Vries. I would say at the moment it looks like he was right.”
De Vries, the 2019 Formula Two champion and 2020-21 Formula E champion, told reporters ahead of Red Bull’s home Austrian Grand Prix that “I think Dr. Marko would appreciate if I proved him wrong on track.
“That’s all I kind of feel about it and what’s within my control. That’s it.”
The Dutch driver said there was no need to force anything.
“I think the key is to just continue as we are and continue to focus on the job, remain patient, and then I think the potential is there so it’s just a matter of time for things to come together.”
De Vries’s future has been made more uncertain by changes in the team management, with Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies set to take over as principal from Franz Tost in 2024.
Marko told Austria’s Kleine Zeitung this week that the Italy-based team would also have new sponsors and a new name.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Toby Davis)
