Marko is adamant: 'Horner was no fan of De Vries, now looks he was right’

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has spoken out harshly about AlphaTauri driver Nyck de Vries. According to the Austrian, attracting the Dutchman seems to have been a mistake for the time being, he told the Inside Line Podcast.

Marko divides the seats at Red Bull Racing and sister team AlphaTauri. He also heads the Red Bull group's talent development department. On several occasions, the advisor has managed to bring great racing talents to the podium, such as Daniel Ricciardo, Sebastian Vettel and, of course, Max Verstappen. In 2022, the Austrian expressed confidence in another Dutchman: Nyck de Vries.

After a strong foray at Williams, where he managed to take Alexander Albon's Williams into the points after just one free practice, Marko brought him to AlphaTauri. His time at the Italian racing stable is not yet a success. De Vries is beaten weekly by teammate Yuki Tsunoda and has been involved in incidents on several occasions.

In the podcast, Marko says he does not make his decisions alone. He does so in consultation with the team bosses, he says. Usually, the advisor and Red Bull team boss Christian Horner are on the same page. "The last [time we were not], I would say was about Nyck de Vries," Marko says. "At the moment it seems he was right. He was not a fan of [him]," the former driver does tell quite honestly.