Verstappen told de Vries to call Marko after Monza F1 cameo
Max Verstappen revealed he told Nyck de Vries to give Red Bull Formula 1 advisor Helmut Marko a call about an AlphaTauri race seat after his Monza cameo.
AlphaTauri announced on Saturday that 2019 Formula 2 champion de Vries will be joining the team for next year, replacing the Alpine-bound Pierre Gasly as Yuki Tsunoda's teammate.
De Vries made his F1 debut as a late stand-in for Alex Albon at Williams in the Italian Grand Prix last month, scoring two points with a run to ninth place.
It helped accelerate talks with AlphaTauri, which had initially set its sights on IndyCar driver Colton Herta to replace Gasly, and ultimately paved the way for a deal being signed for 2023.
Speaking on Saturday at Suzuka, Verstappen revealed that he had dinner with de Vries after the Monza weekend and encouraged him to give Marko a call to discuss options for next year.
"We had a dinner the day after Monza, and I told him, just give [Marko] a call, you never know what happens," Verstappen said when asked by Motorsport.com if he'd put in a good word for de Vries at Red Bull.
"It was also the right time to call him. Helmut is probably still excited on a Monday from the race on a Sunday. It worked out well, and I'm very happy for him."
Pole man Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
The chance for de Vries comes after a meandering racing career to date that saw him win titles in F2 and Formula E, as well as racing in the World Endurance Championship and even considering a switch to IndyCar as recently as this May.
De Vries has served as Mercedes' F1 reserve driver for the past two seasons, appearing for Mercedes, Williams and Aston Martin in FP1 sessions this year as a young driver.
Verstappen said de Vries had been "pushing hard for it for a long time" and that it was "incredible" for him to finally get a shot in F1 full-time.
He felt the run to ninth at Monza meant there was "no real discussion anymore" about his credentials for a race seat in F1, and that Marko would have been open to taking the chance.
"Helmut is a guy when he likes something, he's daring enough to then put him in the car, whereas maybe other teams are a bit more careful," said Verstappen.
"That's great news. We are good friends as well."
Share Or Save This Story
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Tom Dillmann gets "cool" redemption with IMSA win at CTMP
History was made in the NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta
Toto Wolff: I stand by Mercedes' performance focus, but now we must sort reliability
Short-fill propels Vasser Sullivan Racing to GTD Pro victory at CTMP
Cars, stars, and the shootout winners from the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed
Why Charles Leclerc’s battle of the brakes has left him trailing Lewis Hamilton
What is Racing Bulls doing that Red Bull isn't?
Why Williams is still feeling the weight of expectation
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments