Marko puts pressure on De Vries: 'Have two drivers ready for F1'

F1 News

marko steps up pressure de vries further lawson and iwasa ready for f1
5 July 2023 at 12:45
Last update 5 July 2023 at 13:44
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  • Sam Godber

Nyck de Vries has yet to make a good impression in his debut season in Formula 1. After a fine performance in 2022 during a stint at Monza, De Vries managed to score points straight away for Williams. However, the Dutchman did not yet manage to repeat that performance for his current team AlphaTauri and it is clear that Helmut Marko thinks De Vries' performance is disappointing.

Teammate Yuki Tsunoda has already scored two points for the AlphaTauri team, though, and the Japanese is also competing in the final positions in the points more often than De Vries. It was rumoured that the Dutchman will get the last four races before the summer break (Austria, Britain, Hungary and Belgium) to prove himself, but on Tuesday Red Bull Racing's advisor contradicted this rumour.

Marko increases pressure again for De Vries after all

However, Marko still seems to be increasing the pressure on his new driver this season with his statements at the Sport und Talk programme on ServusTV. "We have two drivers who are ready for Formula 1. These are Liam Lawson and Ayumu Iwasa. We are keeping an eye on [De Vries's] development," the Austrian said during the programme.

Lawson currently drives in Japanese Super Formula, which is the same class where Pierre Gasly also gained experience before his F1 debut. Previously, the New Zealander drove in Formula 2 and that is where Iwasa is currently still active. The Japanese driver is third in the championship there, behind Frederik Vesti and Theo Pourchaire.