Christian Horner reacts to Nyck de Vries’ dismissal
Last week, Nyck de Vries was suddenly fired from AlphaTauri, due to his poor results at the start of the season and his lack of pace. Christian Horner, Team Principal of Red Bull, reflects on this decision in which he was also involved.
Ousted after participating in only 10 races at AlphaTauri, Nyck de Vries is already the big loser of this season. For the Dutchman, who is still the Formula E world champion, Formula 1 has been a nightmare. Struggling from the beginning of the season, he never managed to match the performance of his Japanese teammate Yuki Tsunoda. It was Helmut Marko who called him to inform him that his season at AlphaTauri was over. At the same time, it was Daniel Ricciardo who was called to replace him as early as the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Nyck de Vries not meeting expectations according to Horner
It was Helmut Marko who was impressed by the Dutchman when he replaced Alex Albon in the Williams at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix. But Christian Horner has never been a strong supporter of Nyck de Vries and didn’t see the point since he was not part of the Red Bull academy.
« The situation was obviously becoming difficult for Nyck De Vries. But a lot was expected of him because, although inexperienced in Formula 1, he is a very experienced driver » Horner declared on the F1 Nation podcast.
« I think the general feeling was that Nyck wasn’t quite up to par. It’s obviously a shame for Nyck, the way it ends. I think he had a great chance. Maybe things didn’t go as he hoped, or as people hoped. But it’s also a bit harsh when it comes to such a sudden stop. It’s brutal. » Christian Horner then explained, with a hint of compassion for Nyck de Vries.
Daniel Ricciardo’s choice
Since his dismissal from McLaren last year, Daniel Ricciardo had started a break by becoming Red Bull’s 3rd driver. But after a few months, the Australian is back in action as a regular driver at AlphaTauri.
« So the question was what were the possible options if we made changes. And from Red Bull Racing’s perspective, the most interesting option for me was to see how Daniel performs, » Horner first said. Although Liam Lawson was an interesting possibility, he is currently competing for the title in Super Formula in Japan and also wanted to stay there in 2023.
« If we have to do something, we might as well do it and give Daniel 12 races to see what he is capable of, explained the Team Principal of Red Bull. The choice is therefore made, let’s see what Daniel Ricciardo can offer to AlphaTauri in the second half of the season.
Horner hopes for another successful career for Nyck de Vries
The Team Principal of Red Bull still hopes that Nyck de Vries will be able to bounce back from this cruel failure in Formula 1, especially since he is already 28 years old.
« He won the F2 championship, he won international championships. He is therefore recognized and I hope that this kind of hiccup will not harm his career. People tend to do that, and it’s not good. So I have to understand that it’s very tough for him », concluded Christian Horner.
Rumors are already mentioning a return to Formula E, a discipline that he knows very well and where he is competitive.
