Nyck de Vries: (m) As a driver, you fight for your survival throughout your career
During a brief interview in the Barcelona paddock, Nyck de Vries talked about Red Bull's expectations regarding his performance, as well as the progress of the car in the recent races.
After disappointing first races and many mistakes, Helmut Marko had issued an ultimatum to Nyck de Vries, on the brink of impatience. He even stated, “We showed him the yellow card,” said Red Bull’s special advisor after the weekend in Miami. But after the Dutchman held strong in Monaco and secured 12th place, the Austrian gave him a little breathing space and pushed back the deadline for the ultimatum. “Nyck was much closer to Yuki than before. That’s what I expect from him,” he said following the race in the Principality.
What could ease the pressure on the shoulders of the AlphaTauri pilot? « I think the pressure is always present. I mean, as a pilot, you are always fighting for your survival throughout your career, because if you don’t perform, it’s difficult to continue and advance your career successfully », he responded to Motors Inside during an interview in the paddock of the Barcelona circuit. « You always have to perform, that’s the nature of our sport. It’s no different now than at other times », he assured, relatively calm.
The Dutchman is certainly optimistic about the position of Red Bull’s sister team in the championship. « I have the impression that we (Nyck de Vries and Yuki Tsunoda, Editor’s note) are slowly approaching the top ten. Obviously, the midfield is extremely competitive and tight, so it is up to us to do the best possible job during the weekend, to position ourselves ahead of them and capitalize on the mistakes of others, hopefully. »
A new flat background for AlphaTauri.
Nyck de Vries also discussed the improvements made to the car during the last Grand Prix, but they should show their full potential in Barcelona. We are testing a new floor, as we did in Monaco, but we couldn’t learn much due to the nature of the track, so I hope we will learn more here and make some more progress.
What can we expect for Sunday? Not so fast, we shouldn’t jump to hasty conclusions. “We are going to focus on ourselves,” he added, “and we’ll see where we stand.”
The Dutchman, however, admits that he has held this circuit dear to his heart for a long time. « I love coming to Barcelona, I really like the track, it is the first type of Grand Prix officially in Europe. I generally enjoy racing here, it is always a very exciting weekend, I can’t wait », he concluded.
