Helmut Marko: “My biggest mistake in F1? Without a doubt, it was Nyck de Vries;

Helmut Marko, who has played a key role at Red Bull since 2005, oversees the team’s junior program. The Austrian is often responsible for the selection of young drivers who join the team or make their F1 debut with Racing Bulls (formerly AlphaTauri and Toro Rosso).

Helmut Marko regrets having recruited Nyck de Vries.

After Pierre Gasly’s departure for Alpine at the end of 2022, Red Bull found itself facing a shortage of drivers. Instead of promoting one of its juniors, the team decided to sign Nyck de Vries.

Nyck de Vries had made a name for himself during a one-off appearance for Williams at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix, where he scored points while replacing Alex Albon. However, once he was signed full-time with AlphaTauri for the 2023 season, the Dutchman struggled to perform.

Nyck de Vries was ultimately replaced by Daniel Ricciardo after only 10 races in the championship. « My biggest mistake? Without a doubt, it’s Nyck de Vries, » declared Helmut Marko to Autosprint. « He had an excellent performance at Monza with Williams. But once with AlphaTauri, he did not progress. »

His career was impressive: FIA F2 champion, also Formula E world champion, but the stopwatch showed he was not the right choice. And in trying to go faster, he made mistakes.

Red Bull prioritizes internal talent

For the 2025 season, Red Bull has chosen to promote its internal talents. Liam Lawson will replace Sergio Perez alongside Max Verstappen, while Isack Hadjar will join Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls (formerly AlphaTauri) next season.

The Red Bull junior program has produced many successful talents. Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, who came from this program, have won several world titles with Red Bull. Daniel Ricciardo won seven of his eight races with the team, while Pierre Gasly triumphed with the junior team in 2020.

Carlos Sainz, after leaving the Red Bull family, has had an impressive career with Renault, McLaren, and more recently Ferrari.

Eight current drivers on the F1 grid have been members of the Red Bull junior program at some point in their careers: Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Yuki Tsunoda, Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson, and Jack Doohan.

Also read: The official lineup for the 2025 F1 season