Tost asked about Marko statement: 'We'll see'

Helmut Marko immediately bombed Nyck de Vries as AlphaTauri's team principal when it was announced that the 27-year-old driver will make his Formula 1 debut next season. Franz Tost is slightly more cautious in his statements, stating that time will tell.

Tost keeps his head down

At the team bosses' press conference, Tost was asked about Marko's comments. The Austrian put off answering the question for a while. "This we'll see. Yuki has more Formula 1 experience. Nyck is a little bit older, has more race experience. He won many races and championships. I think the most important part is that we provide the drivers with a competitive car. And then it's easy for both of them to set up the car and to perform well."

So he does not want to venture a prediction yet as to which of the two drivers will be the faster in 2023. "I don't know yet. I’m looking forward, because both of the drivers have a lot of potential. Both of the drivers are fast. And I think that we should have a successful season," said Tost, who says he is very happy with next season's line-up. AlphaTauri, he said, acted appropriately in attracting De Vries after Gasly's departure to Alpine.

De Vries already visited AlphaTauri factory

Earlier on Friday, it was announced that De Vries has received permission from Mercedes to take part in the Young Driver Tests after Abu Dhabi. Tost is already in close contact with the Dutchman, despite him still being under contract with Mercedes. Meanwhile, the racing seat for De Vries is also all set to go.

"Yeah, I had a lot of contact with him. He was in Faenza. We always have some chats together. It's very interesting, very important to know each other. And I want to integrate him into the team as fast as possible. We have a good programme for him during the winter months to prepare him in the best possible way for 2023," concluded the team boss.