Marko jokes about contract De Vries: 'Our marketing department less happy'

Nyck de Vries had been hoping for a seat in Formula 1 for years and with his contract at AlphaTauri, that dream has come true. Helmut Marko is giving the 27-year-old Dutchman the chance alongside Yuki Tsunoda. Expectations regarding De Vries are high. Marko expects the rookie to lead the team immediately next year.

Marko impressed with De Vries

"With his personality and experience, Nyck should lead the team," Marko said in an interview with De Telegraaf. De Vries has an awful lot of experience, having competed in several racing classes such as Formula 2, Formula E and the WEC in recent years. Moreover, he already made relatively high mileage in several Formula 1 cars.

The Red Bull Racing advisor's words are somewhat striking, because with Yuki Tsunoda it has a driver in its ranks who is preparing for his third season in Formula 1. It means there is a lot of confidence in De Vries' abilities. That was exactly the reason why he received a contract offer. Commercially, other options were a lot more attractive.

The brand wants as much exposure in different countries as possible. "It's nice for you, for the Dutch press, that there will soon be two drivers from your country active, but our marketing department is less happy about it," jokes Marko. "But for me, everything is about performance."

Mercedes knowledge

The fact that De Vries has been associated with Mercedes for many years and was also active there last year as a test and reserve driver was not one of the reasons for attracting him. When asked if that is an advantage, Marko replied tellingly by stating that Mercedes is third in the championship. "What can we learn from them?", he asks.