“No way to escape”: Former Red Bull driver opens up on facing ‘double pressure’ in his short F1 stint

Nyck de Vries, who spent a brief time in Formula 1 with Red Bull's sister team, Scuderia AlphaTauri, spoke about the stresses he faced during his time on the grid driving for the Austrian team. Discussing that while there is pressure from the outside world on performing well, there was also pressure from just being a part of the team that was inescapable, describing the feeling like he was constantly being watched.

The driver, appearing on the Cool Room podcast at the end of January, discussed his mental state during the 10 races he spent with Red Bull's second team in the 2023 season. Speaking about the pressures that came from the exterior, he said it was due to the media, which also contributed to a secondary pressure that came from being observed as a Red Bull driver. During his podcast appearance, the driver said (via Motorsportweek):

“Of course you have the media and therefore the external pressure, but you also have the internal pressure. Every team goes there differently. So you feel double pressure. Wherever you go, it always feels like they’re watching you. I wouldn’t say it feels like they’re attacking you, but you do feel that 24/7 about writing and talking about you. You move around in the paddock, in that ecosystem, and everyone knows about it, and you can’t run away from it. Even if you wanted to, there is no way to escape."

During de Vries' time with AlphaTauri, his best finish was when he crossed the line at the Monaco Grand Prix in 12th place. His debut in the sport came with Williams the previous year, where he secured a finish in the points of 9th place at Monza.

The Dutch driver was replaced after the Great Britain GP by Red Bull's third driver, Daniel Ricciardo for the remainder of the 2023 season.

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Red Bull team boss calls hiring Nyck de Vries his "biggest mistake"

Dr Helmut Marko talks with Nyck de Vries prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Miami on May 07, 2023 - Source: Getty

Red Bull Racing's advisor and one of the heads of their sister team, AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls), Helmut Marko, spoke about how his decision to hire Nyck de Vries to replace Pierre Gasly to drive alongside Yuki Tsunoda for the 2023 season was a misstep on his part. Explaining that his decision was based on the 2020 Formula E championship winner's strong debut performance at Monza, and his accolades in the other Formula competitions, the team boss acknowledged that the data did not support his decision. Marko told Italian outlet Autosprint (via Motorsportweek):

“My biggest mistake? That was undoubtedly Nyck de Vries. He did very well on his debut for Williams in Monza. He also had an incredible CV. He was Formula 2 champion and Formula E champion. But for us the stopwatch said that Nyck de Vries was the wrong choice.”

In 2025, Red Bull's sister team will see Yuki Tsunoda return for his fifth season in the sport, as well as with the organization. Tsunoda will be joined by 2024's F2 Championship runner-up Isack Hadjar.