Red Bull explain decision to sack Nyck de Vries before the F1 summer break - “We saw no improvement”

Dr Helmut Marko, advisor to Red Bull, has explained why the team replaced Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri even before the first half of the season was over. The 80-year-old former driver said it was because they didn't notice any improvement in De Vries' driving.

As reported by De Telegraaf, the team was hoping for Nyck de Vries' performances to match those of his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda. He was given a deadline of a couple of races, as was revealed earlier. Since he did not show signs of improvement and failed to secure a single point this season, the team decided to have him replaced.

"We expected De Vries to be equivalent to Tsunoda, but saw no improvement," Marko said.

Dr Marko further claimed it did not make sense for them to wait any longer to think about replacing him, because there was no change in his performances.

"We had to do something. Why should we wait and what does two extra races matter if you don't see any improvement? Nyck is a very nice guy, but the speed just wasn't there."

After Daniel Ricciardo performed a successful test in the Red Bull at Silverstone, fulfilling his duties as a reserve driver, his pace was deemed impressive and competitive enough by the team to give him a permanent seat.

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Dr Helmut Marko feels Nyck de Vries is not a 'young rookie'

Although the 2023 season with AlphaTauri was Nyck de Vries' first season in Formula 1, Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko claimed it would be wrong to call him or compare him to a young rookie.

De Vries has earned plenty of experience in other racing leagues, such as Formula E, where he won the world championship earlier. He also tested for various teams on the grid, including Mercedes.

One of the main reasons he was considered for a permanent seat was because of his performance at Monza in 2022 with Williams, where he secured a points finish while filling in for Alex Albon.

Given his age and experience, the Red Bull advisor feels it would be wrong to call the 28-year-old Dutchman a young rookie. He said (via PlanetF1):

"He is 28 years old, has a lot of experience, and has also been able to gain a lot of knowledge as a test driver in various Formula 1 cars. You can’t compare him to a young rookie in my eyes."