In a chaotic end to the Monaco GP, AlphaTauri driver Nyck de Vries managed to navigate the treacherous conditions, taking home a 12th-place finish. The Dutchman had a relatively calm weekend, garnering praise from Red Bull boss Helmut Marko.
De Vries headed into the Monaco GP under immense pressure to undo the underwhelming start to his rookie campaign. Although he was slower than his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, he had a clean weekend, which provided a much-needed boost of confidence.
According to Dutch reporter Ronald Vording, Helmut Marko is satisfied with de Vries' performance over the weekend. The top boss at Red Bull said:
"This was by far Nyck de Vries’ best weekend so far at AT. This is also what I want to see from him. We have just brought someone with experience to be able to put the fire to Yuki."
Qualifying 12th for Sunday's race, Nyck de Vries started three places behind his teammate Yuki Tsunoda. The Dutchman couldn't match Tsunoda's pace but finished ahead of him as the latter struggled with brake issues.
Finishing in the position where he started, De Vries managed his best finish of the season. In recent weeks, the rookie AlphaTauri driver has been in the news, as reports claimed that Helmut Marko had set an ultimatum to improve his performances.
With an underwhelming start to the season, rumors of De Vries losing his seat were also in the news. However, Marko insists that his seat was never in danger. After the Monaco GP, the 80-year-old further revealed that he had set no ultimatum for the driver.
Max Verstappen offers advice to compatriot Nyck de Vries
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen has passed on advice to his fellow countryman, Nyck de Vries, after an underwhelming start to the latter's F1 career.
Ahead of the Monaco GP, Verstappen said that he had spoken to De Vries about the tricky start and asked him not to 'overcomplicate things'.
The Red Bull driver said:
"No, I mean, there’s not a lot to talk about. I mean, from his side, just focus on the driving. We are all under pressure to deliver and be at the best we can be."
He added:
"Of course when you’re at the beginning of your career in F1, you want to start off really well and when that’s not the case, I think by trying even harder it’s not going to work."
He concluded:
"It’s just focus on your job and try to learn, try to be better, but don’t overcomplicate things. I’ve said this to him. He knows that and he knows it himself. So he just needs to get a good result, I think that will help a lot for him."
A former F2 and Formula E champion, de Vries has a lot of experience under his belt. The 28-year-old is yet to make his mark in F1, as he is being outperformed by teammate Yuki Tsunoda.