Helmut Marko issues ultimatum to Nyck de Vries, threatens to replace the Dutch with Daniel Ricciardo
Helmut Marko has reportedly given Nyck deVries three races' time to improve upon his performance or leave AlphaTauri.
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First, the demotion of Daniil Kvyat from Red Bull to Toro Rosso in the middle of the 2016 season, then the similar fate of Pierre Gasly ahead of the Belgian GP 2019, and finally the dismissal of Alex Albon from the main team in 2020–Red Bull are infamous for dropping their racers when they feel like the results are not hopeful enough. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who also oversees the proceedings at RBR’s sister team Scuderia AlphaTauri, has an eye for talent, and he also knows when to dismiss a driver because he is not performing well.
Right before the 2023 F1 season kickstarted, Marko selected Formula E 2020 Champion Nyck deVries as the newest recruit at AlphaTauri in Pierre Gasly’s place. DeVries has now completed five Grands Prix with the Faenza-based team beside Yuki Tsunoda, and he is currently in the bottommost position on the World Championship standings with zero points to his name. The miserable condition of the 2019 F2 winner has made Marko give an alleged ultimatum to him, according to the French version of Motorsport.com.
It is well known that Red Bull took up Daniel Ricciardo as a ‘third driver’ ahead of the current season. This led to some fans believing that the Australian is waiting at the bleachers for Sergio Perez to fall so that he can take up the second seat at the Milton-Keynes-based team. But now, it seems that Ricciardo might be headed for a mid-season shift to AlphaTauri if DeVries does not pick up the pace in the next three Grands Prix.
Nyck deVries gets three lifelines from Helmut Marko to keep his F1 career alive
Nyck deVries has only just started his run at AlphaTauri in 2023, but his Formula One career is already at risk of getting murdered by Helmut Marko. The Austrian wants DeVries to step on the gas pedal and improve fast so that he scores some points in the next three races in Imola, Monaco, and Barcelona. Should Nyck fail this task, he will be dismissed from AlphaTauri to make way for Daniel Ricciardo shifting to the Faenza outfit mid-season, as per the reports.
At the same time, Daniel Ricciardo has revealed when fans will find him back in a Red Bull car after him leaving the team in 2018. He has said that he is scheduled to take the wheel of the RB-19 after a couple of months, in Silverstone. In the same interview, he also said he would be eager to get back to racing in 2024 after taking a “mental break” this year.
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