Helmut Marko losing £8.5m-a-year driver was his ‘biggest mistake’ in F1 and not signing Nyck de Vries

Follow us on Google Discover

Nyck de Vries hasn’t raced in Formula 1 since the 2023 British Grand Prix after managing just 10 races with AlphaTauri before being replaced by Daniel Ricciardo.

De Vries came to F1’s attention at the Italian Grand Prix the year before when he scored points for Williams during a fantastic one-off performance.

Alex Albon required appendix surgery and the former Formula 2 and Formula E champion stepped in at the last minute and impressed everyone, including Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko.

Marko acted quickly and with a dearth of talent coming through Red Bull’s academy to replace Pierre Gasly ahead of his move to Alpine, he swooped in to sign De Vries to hand him his long-awaited shot at racing in F1.

Unfortunately, his 10-race stint with AlphaTauri saw him outclassed by teammate Yuki Tsunoda in a poor car.

Ricciardo impressed in a private test at Silverstone and that was enough for Christian Horner to act and swap De Vries for Ricciardo midway through the 2023 season.

In an interview with Autosprint, Marko admitted that he believes signing De Vries was the ‘biggest mistake’ of his Formula 1 career.

However, that overlooks the fact that during a year when Red Bull were desperate to find a suitable teammate for Max Verstappen, they decided to let Carlos Sainz depart after just two and a half seasons at Toro Rosso.

Letting Carlos Sainz leave the Red Bull group was Helmut Marko’s biggest mistake

In his interview with Autosprint, Marko said: “My biggest mistake? No doubt about it, it’s Nyck De Vries.

“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.”

READ MORE: Who is Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko? Everything to know

While it’s easy to say that De Vries’ signing didn’t go to plan, letting a driver of Sainz’s calibre go may end up being even more costly for Red Bull.

The Spaniard was promoted in 2015 at the same time as Verstappen and while the Dutchman moved up to race for Red Bull from Toro Rosso the following year, Sainz stayed put.

By the middle of 2017, it was clear that Sainz wasn’t going to get his chance to race alongside Verstappen in the senior team and after agreeing a deal with Renault, was released before the end of the campaign.

Looking back on that decision all these years later, it’s hard to say that Sainz wouldn’t be a better driver to have alongside Verstappen in 2025 than Liam Lawson, although there are other reasons why that never came to pass.

Helmut Marko’s ‘confused’ comments on Carlos Sainz during his final season at Toro Rosso

When Sainz was coming towards the end of his third season at Toro Rosso, he insisted he wouldn’t stay for another year unless he was promoted into the Red Bull team.

An understandable demand, although Verstappen and Ricciardo were forming a formidable pairing at the time.

Speaking to Sky Sports back in 2017, Marko said: “I think he is a little bit confused. I see it in his driving, he came off today and has done other mistakes already this season.

“The contract is crystal clear. You don’t bite the hand that feeds you. It was Mr Mateschitz and I who pushed Sainz into Toro Rosso, nobody else would give him a chance.

READ MORE: Williams driver Carlos Sainz’s life outside F1 from full name, girlfriend and height

“We sent him a letter saying that we take the option. As far as I know, and as long as I have been in Red Bull, the driver doesn’t decide what they are doing with the contract. It is up to the boss and they make the decisions.

“I think he should focus on driving. [Daniil] Kvyat has out-qualified him the last couple of races.”

It’s also been suggested that Verstappen and Sainz’s camp don’t get on, which may have been a reason why the Spaniard had to leave.

When Sainz was available as a free agent this year, Red Bull never appeared keen on signing him despite having raced in F1 on 206 occasions compared to Lawson’s 11 Grand Prix.

Instead, he’s signed for Williams on an £8.5m-a-year contract with the hopes of lifting the midfield team up the standings over the next few years.

Marko may have made a mistake by signing De Vries, but letting Red Bull’s relationship with Sainz deteriorate to such an extent has cost them dearly.