George Russell blasts Helmut Marko for brutal treatment of Nyck De Vries
George Russell is extremely disappointed with the harsh treatment of Nyck De Vries during his AlphaTauri stint.
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George Russell, Nyck De Vries, and, Helmut Marko (Credits: Imago)
Nyck De Vries is no longer making his trade at the pinnacle of motor racing since his brutal sacking by Helmut Marko after the British GP. While on the sidelines, George Russell, the Mercedes F1 driver, has come forward and bashed Marko for his ruthless treatment of De Vries.
Nyck De Vries was given the AlphaTauri seat ahead of the 2023 F1 season with the hope of him turning out as the leader, but considering that the Dutchman was still a rookie despite his previous F1 appearances, George Russell feels it was too much to ask from him and should have been given more opportunities.
While talking about the same recently, he said, as reported by Formu1a. Uno, “Obviously, we know how Red Bull operates, and you need to respect how they do things. 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. 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 added.
George Russell is hopeful of better performances in the upcoming races
While George Russell has sympathized with Nyck De Vries for his treatment by Helmut Marko and Co., he is optimistic regarding Mercedes’s prospects for the rest of the 2023 F1 season. The recently concluded Dutch GP ended in immense sorrow for the young Brit, but what gives him confidence going into the rest of the campaign is the race pace of the W14.
The car looked alive during the Dutch GP and had Mercedes not made poor decisions on the pit wall, Russell could have made a solid claim for a P2 or P3 finish at the event. The Toto Wolff-led team has finally managed to get on top of the gremlins haunting W14’s performance output during the first leg.
With the Dutch GP out of the way, there are still nine races remaining on the calendar, with the race at the famous Autodromo Nazionale Monza Circuit just around the corner. The track supports fast racing, and it should suit the Mercedes drivers to put the W14 through the absolute wringer at the event.
In case you missed it:
- George Russell explains his FURIOUS team radio rant at the Dutch GP
- Oscar Piastri brands the chaotic Dutch GP as a ‘baptism by fire’
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)