Marko reflects on his ‘biggest mistake’ in F1 driver choices

Red Bull motorsport advisor, Helmut Marko, has played a pivotal role in shaping the careers of numerous Formula 1 stars, including Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, and Daniel Ricciardo.

However, while Red Bull’s driver program has provided dozens of young talents with opportunities to join motorsport’s elite, many were unable to fully realize their potential at the highest level.

Reflecting on those who fell short of expectations, Marko recently acknowledged that signing Nyck de Vries to AlphaTauri in 2023 stands out as the "biggest mistake" of his distinguished career.

A Promising Start That Faded Quickly

De Vries first turned heads with an exceptional debut performance at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix, where he stepped in for Williams at short notice and scored points with a stellar ninth-place finish.

This performance, coupled with his impressive résumé – which included championships in Formula 2 (2019) and Formula E (2020-21) – earned him a seat at AlphaTauri for the 2023 season.

However, the Dutchman's F1 tenure proved short-lived. Over the first half of the season, de Vries struggled to adapt to the highly competitive environment, being comprehensively outperformed by teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

His struggles culminated in his mid-season replacement by Daniel Ricciardo, marking the end of his brief stint in Formula 1.

“My biggest mistake? No doubt about it, it’s Nyck de Vries,” Marko said , speaking to Autosprint.

“He did very well on his debut for Williams in Monza. But once he got to AlphaTauri, he didn’t progress.

“He had an incredible track record, FIA F2 champion, also Formula E world champion, but with us the stopwatch said Nyck was the wrong choice. And in trying to go faster, he made mistakes.”

A Career Beyond F1

Since leaving F1, de Vries has returned to familiar territory, rejoining Formula E – where he previously thrived.

However, his 2023-24 campaign with Mahindra Racing yielded a lowly 18th position in the electric series’ Drivers’ standings.

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His 2024-25 campaign sees him driving for Mahindra Racing for a second w team, while he also competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Toyota.

The 29-year-old is on the FE grid again this season, while he’s also been retained by the works Toyota squad in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Still a Foot in F1’s Door

Despite his unproductive stint in F1, de Vries has maintained a link with F1.

Late last year, he completed a TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) session with McLaren, fueling speculation about a potential simulator or reserve driver role with the Woking-based team.

With the Woking-based team losing its reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa to Alpine, de Vries may be called upon to fulfill the back-up role.

"We are going through our test programme and evaluating some drivers," commented McLaren Racing boss Zak Brown said.

"Nyck is one of them. It's about a possible position as a simulator driver, test driver and tyre tester. Unfortunately, they won't let me do that, so we have to look at others!

“Nyck is obviously a great talent, so we want to see if we can rekindle the relationship with him. He's done a good job and we'll see what will happen."

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