Max Verstappen believes Nick de Vries is just the driver AlphaTauri F1 needs.
Nick de Vries, as we all know, has already made his official F1 debut. The performance of De Vries, who reached the Williams F1 round at the Monza circuit as a substitute for Alexander Albon and finished 9th, attracted attention and became the tail for winning the F1 seat.
With advice from Max Verstappen and a phone call to Helmut Marko, Nick de Vries managed to secure an AlphaTauri F1 seat.
Nick de Vries will start his ‘rookie season’ in F1 in Bahrain during the first weekend of March. Even within the Red Bull Group, expectations are already rising. Helmut Marko, for example, says that Nick de Vries has more technical experience than teammate Yuki Tsunoda, so he could quickly become a team leader on the technical side.
Max Verstappen agrees: “In a way it makes sense.”
“Nick is a bit older and has a lot of experience in other championships.
Max Verstappen hopes that Nick de Vries can complete his first year in F1 in 2023 on a good note and hopes that the experience he has gained in other championships will be useful at AlphaTauri.
“Of course, like everyone else, Nick may need to get used to F1 a bit at first, but he knows how to handle a racing car perfectly. Nick feels in a car. It’s good, and I think that’s exactly what AlphaTauri needs.”
“Obviously they’ve lost Pierre[Gathrie]so again they need someone with general experience, someone who can get in the car and point them in the right direction quickly.”
Max Verstappen says all new drivers need to “get used to” the world of F1, where he believes Nick de Vries’ experience can help.
For example, 2021 Formula E champion Nick de Vries is 11 years older than Max Verstappen himself was in his rookie season at Toro Rosso in 2015. The difference means that De Vries has extra life experience, and looking the behind the scenes on Mercedes is also a valuable experience.
Asked if they would help Nick DeVries, Verstappen said: “Maybe they will.”
“I’ve already gone through things in my life and in other championships and in Formula 1. Once you’re in a situation, when you have to deal with it again, it’s easier. We might be able to deal with
Max Verstappen has already emphasized that Nick de Vries sees opportunities in F1 mainly as rewards for his work.
“I knew of course just before the announcement in Japan, of course it was a great opportunity for him,” said Verstappen.
“He’s been working for this for a long time, so it’s good to have an opportunity like this. After Monza, I don’t think there’s any discussion at all. Someone who puts you in the car straight away. Teams others tend to be a bit more careful, but that’s what’s good about Red Bull. Anyway, I know Nick very well and this is a good thing.
Category: F1 / Max Verstappen / red bull / Alpha Tauri / Nick de Vries
