Former F1 driver claims Nyck de Vries could’ve been successful if Helmut Marko had been ‘a bit calmer’

Nyck De Vries was ousted from AlphaTauri after just 10 races in his rookie F1 season.

Former F1 driver claims Nyck de Vries could’ve been successful if Helmut Marko had been ‘a bit calmer’

Nyck and Helmut (Via: Imago)

AlphaTauri saw a lot of driver changes mid-season due to multiple reasons. Rookie Nyck De Vries was ousted from his spot mid-season due to a lack of results for the Faenza-based squad. Daniel Ricciardo replaced the rookie, but an injury sidelined him, leading to Liam Lawson filling in for the Australian for five races.

The Red Bull sister team replaced de Vries in just 10 races. Former F1 driver Giedo Van der Garde recalled this situation for AlphaTauri and highlighted the issues with this sacking. Garde expressed that not giving the Formula E champion more time was a terrible shame. According to the former racing driver, De Vries was a driver who needed some time to showcase his driving skills to the grid.

It's a terrible shame that he wasn't given more time, It's also a guy who sometimes needs a little longer to show what he really has up his sleeve and I know how good he really is and above all how dedicated he is.
Garde said, as reported by racingnews365.com.
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Additionally, reporters questioned Van der Garde if Nyck de Vries would have performed well if he had been kept around for a bit longer, and the 38-year-old gave a clear answer. The former Caterham driver claimed that if Helmut Marko was a bit calmer when making decisions for the rookie, de Vries would’ve contributed better to the team. Giedo Van der Garde pointed out the few points scored by the team in the latter half of the season.

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I think so, yes. He would have been better in his rhythm by that time and maybe Helmut Marko would have been a bit calmer and more relaxed by that time as well, because there were some points on the scoreboard anyway.

Giedo Van Der Garde asserted that AlphaTauri was struggling at the beginning

Although Nyck De Vries did not shine much in AlphaTauri, Van der Garde reckoned that it was difficult to decide whether the Faenza took the right call after selecting Ricciardo and Lawson over De Vries. However, the team had to provide an answer to the impending question about the better choice for the subsequent season.

Franz Tost, Christian Horner, and Dr. Helmut Marko (Via IMAGO)
Franz Tost, Christian Horner, and Dr. Helmut Marko (Via IMAGO)

Garde insisted that AlphaTauri in the beginning was very jerky in terms of performance and results and even Yuki Tsunoda couldn’t handle it either. However, the Dutchman had more pressure on his shoulders as compared to the Japanese driver in the team. Additionally, the 38-year-old also acknowledged the increasing pressure due to Marko constantly requiring better results within the team.

Hence, the sacking of Nyck De Vries so soon might not have been a right call as the Dutchman did produce promising results in his debut races before joining the grid. However, these are just speculations, as the Dutchman is now returning to Formula E with Mahinda for the upcoming season. As such de Vries’ F1 journey has ended for now.

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