Max Verstappen says he encouraged Nyck de Vries to call Helmut Marko after his countryman’s stand-out performance last month in the Italian Grand Prix.
On Saturday morning at Suzuka, Red Bull confirmed de Vries’ nomination as Pierre Gasly’s replacement at AlphaTauri for 2023 following the Frenchman’s long-awaited transfer to Alpine.
The round of announcements put an end to the speculation surrounding the two drivers and promotes de Vries to a full-time seat in F1 that he could scarcely dream about just a few weeks ago.
As Mercedes’ reserve driver, the 2019 FIA F2 Champion and winner of the 2021 Formula E world championship, had been knocking unsuccessfully on F1’s door for the past two years.
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The 27-year-old was handed FP1 outings with Williams, Mercedes and Aston Martin this year, but when Alex Albon suffered an acute case of appendicitis on the Saturday morning of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, Williams called upon de Vries to substitute on the spot for the Anglo-Thai racer.
De Vries made the most of the unanticipated opportunity by qualifying P13 and executing a flawless race that he concluded a remarkable P9, passing his first full-scale F1 test with flying colors.
De Vries met up with Verstappen a day after his Monza coup, and the reigning world champion urged his friend to make one important phone call.
“We had a dinner the day after Monza, and I told him, just give [Marko] a call, you never know what happens," Verstappen recounted at Suzuka on Saturday.
"It was also the right time to call him. Helmut is probably still excited on a Monday from the race on a Sunday. It worked out well, and I'm very happy for him."
Indeed, AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost admitted on Saturday that de Vries' outstanding Monza weekend had convinced Red Bull to consider the Dutchman as a candidate for Gasly's seat at the Faenza-based outfit.
As for Marko, he invited de Vries to Austria in the days that followed their initial phone conversation, and the pair laid the groundwork for a deal.
After several years during which de Vries had been "pushing hard for it for a long time", Verstappen acknowledged that it was "incredible" for his countryman to finally get the break his talent and credentials deserve.
"Helmut is a guy when he likes something, he's daring enough to then put him in the car, whereas maybe other teams are a bit more careful," added Verstappen.
"That's great news. We are good friends as well."
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