George Russell calls out Helmut Marko's treatment of Nyck de Vries as the Dutch driver 'didn’t get the opportunity that he deserved'

Mercedes driver George Russell criticized the way Red Bull handled Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri, especially the team's advisor Dr. Helmut Marko's treatment of him in his rookie Formula 1 season.

De Vries had been the reserve and test driver for many teams on the F1 grid but finally had the chance to race as a permanent driver at AlphaTauri this season. Being a former Formula E world champion and rather experienced in racing, the team had high expectations of him.

Dr. Marko even mentioned that he could be the team leader later on. De Vries became one of the few drivers to score a point during his debut F1 race (Monza, 2022) where he was driving with Williams as Alex Albon's replacement.

However, his time with AlphaTauri took a turn. The car's pace and competitiveness did not assist him even in the slightest to score points while his teammate Yuki Tsunoda did score two. It was apparent that he was not able to fulfill the goals and expectations of the team and he was replaced by Daniel Ricciardo even before the summer break.

George Russell feels that it was not right for the team to not give him the opportunity that he deserved. RacingNews365 quoted him as saying:

"I mean, I didn’t follow Nyck closely during his time at AlphaTauri, but I saw the reports and things that Helmut said, and it is a difficult place to go if you’re lacking confidence."

"For sure, they didn’t help him to gain confidence starting the season by saying he’s going to be the leader of the team for he is a rookie."

George Russell added that Nyck de Vries' age did not matter because even if he was 27 or 28, this was the first time he was racing a complete season in Formula 1, and so, he was a rookie. The Brit explained:

"It doesn’t matter that he is 27 or 28 years old. He is a Formula 1 rookie. And you can’t go in telling the rookie that you are the leader of the team just because you’ve raced in more championships than your teammate."

"He was in a difficult position from when he started, so I do feel bad for him. He is Formula 1 level – but didn’t get the opportunity that he deserved."

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George Russell receives support from Mercedes team principal

Mercedes signed Russell in the 2022 season to partner Lewis Hamilton in the team's pursuit of the world championships. However, the new regulations have not sat well with the team as they continue to suffer from the car's poor performance.

Despite the fact that they were only the third fastest car in the 2022 season, Russell managed to beat Lewis Hamilton in the season, something that only a handful of drivers have achieved (being the latter's teammates).

However, his performances this season have been a mixed bag. The W14 is much more competitive but still not good enough to beat Red Bull and win. While George Russell's performance feels hampered, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stated that he is trying hard to tell him that he has not lost his form.

PlanetF1 quoted him as saying:

"I’m trying to really bang it into his head that he hasn’t lost his form, that it is just the myth that he’s making up."

"You don’t unlearn to drive and you don’t lose your form. You can have ups and downs like all of us have but every single weekend when things have gone against him, it was pretty clear why that was and it wasn’t the driving."