Christian Horner was ‘never convinced’ by driver Helmut Marko pushed RB to sign

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Christian Horner is the Red Bull team principal and will be trying to turn the team’s fortunes around this season after losing the lead in the Constructors’ Championship.

The Briton has worked with some of Formula 1’s best drivers, including Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel, who won multiple championships with Red Bull.

Horner has had recent success but clashed with the team’s special advisor, Helmut Marko, as the pair disagreed about signing Nyck De Vries for RB.

Nate Saunders explained on the ESPN YouTube channel that the pair couldn’t agree on whether to sign the Dutchman after he debuted for Williams at Monza in 2022.

Christian Horner was ‘never convinced’ that Nyck De Vries should become a driver for RB in Formula 1

De Vries struggled during his brief Formula 1 career, floundering at the back of the field for RB, who were then known as AlphaTauri.

The Dutchman made a lot of errors despite his experience in other championships, such as the WEC and Formula E.

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He also lacked raw speed and was consistently beaten by his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, leading to his departure from F1 before that year’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

De Vries was a risky appointment for the team, and Saunders explained that Horner wasn’t overly enthusiastic by the Dutchman being given the drive.

He said: “He was the one who was very insistent that Red Bull signed Nyck De Vries, when Nyck De Vries had the great performance for Williams at Monza in 2022.

“And obviously, that then led to them signing him, letting Pierre Gasly go to Alpine. Christian Horner was never convinced by that.”

RB are promoting young talent once more as they are giving Liam Lawson a chance in F1

RB have been a team based around developing young drivers and allowing them to compete in Formula 1 with the added pressure of racing at the sharp end of the field.

New Zealander Liam Lawson will return to F1 next time out at the United States Grand Prix, replacing Daniel Ricciardo, who suffered a difficult exit after the Singapore Grand Prix.

Lawson will be driving for the Italian team for the final six races of the season, which is the perfect opportunity to prove he is worthy of the drive next season.

He may also be moved into Red Bull if Sergio Perez were to depart the team, which could open the door for Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar at RB.