“I feel so bad for Nyck”: F1 fans riot against Red Bull after they were caught red-handed trolling Nyck de Vries

F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain - Qualifying
F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain - Qualifying - Nyck de Vries in Britain (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)

F1 fans are disappointed with the way Red Bull handled Nyck de Vries's sacking after the 2023 F1 British GP. The team allegedly 'liked' and commented on a post by a fan account that posted that Brad Pitt would replace De Vries in Hungary.

De Vries was let go from AlphaTauri after failing to impress in the opening half of the 2023 season. The Dutchman was prone to crashes and driver mishaps and was routinely outperformed by his younger teammate, Yuki Tsunoda.

As a result, the team has decided to go with former McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo for the remainder of the season, starting in Hungary.

The former Formula E champion was taken onboard after his stellar F1 debut at Monza in 2022. However, the Dutchman didn't live up to expectations and was sacked by Helmut Marko and Co., opting for Ricciardo instead.

Fans didn't take kindly to De Vries' sudden sacking, pointing fingers at the Milton Keynes-based team, which allegedly liked a post about Hollywood star Brad Pitt replacing the now-former AlphaTauri driver in Hungary.

One fan wrote on Twitter:

"i feel so bad for nyck"

Another fan cheekily criticized Red Bull's stringent treatment of its drivers, saying:

"Their downfall is due at this point."

The team has also been fairly silent since Nyck was let go. Fans have criticized this move for being too harsh on drivers, who might not be in a good headspace post-axing.

Another fan wrote:

"This is the only way they’ve acknowledged Nyck departure from the team"

Christian Horner on Daniel Ricciardo's form after returning to Red Bull

Horner claimed that the team was shocked to see Daniel Ricciardo's form after he returned to Red Bull from McLaren after a two-year-long unsuccessful stint. The team boss claims Ricciardo had lost a bit of his 'mojo' but seems to have built it back up with rigorous simulation work.

Ricciardo was severely outperformed by Lando Norris at McLaren, failing to impress with the Papaya team. And despite winning the 2021 Italian GP, the Australian was dropped from the Woking-based team in favor of Oscar Piastri, who finished fourth in the recently concluded 2023 F1 British GP.

Horner claims the Honey Badger lost a bit of his form over at McLaren, leading to Red Bull being shocked over his form.

Speaking to the press in Austria, the Red Bull boss said:

"Well, when he first arrived after Abu Dhabi last year, it was a little bit of a shock because we, we didn't really recognize him from the driver that had left us a few years earlier."

However, having impressed in the recent tire test in Silverstone, Ricciardo earned a seat at AlphaTauri starting at the 2023 F1 Hungarian GP, where he will race next to Yuki Tsunoda.

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