Helmut Marko fires AlphaTauri pair stern F1 future warning

De Vries and Tsunoda — Photo: © LAT Images

AlphaTauri

Marko fires AlphaTauri pair stern F1 future warning

AlphaTauri has struggled for pace so far this season

Sam Hall

Sunday 19 March 2023 12:50

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has warned AlphaTauri drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Nyck de Vries to "prove themselves" or forget F1.

AlphaTauri has endured a torrid start to the season with the AT04 failing to live up to expectations.

This has led to team principal Franz Tost remarkably stating he 'does not trust' his engineers, while on track, both Tsunoda and De Vries registered Q1 exits in Saudi Arabia.

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Red Bull has a history of promoting drivers from the sister team - previously known as Toro Rosso - into the Milton Keynes-based squad.

Assessing the capability of AlphaTauri's current drivers, Marko told Formula1.de: “To be a candidate for Red Bull Racing, you have to have an extraordinary performance. “They have to prove themselves if they want to stay in Formula 1. The better one will probably have a chance. That applies to Yuki and also to De Vries.”

De Vries deserves 'a certain chance'

Following de Vries' departure from his position as a Mercedes reserve driver, the Silver Arrow's trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin claimed it would not surprise him if De Vries joined Max Verstappen in the championship-winning Red Bull team "in the next 12 months".

Providing a more cautious outlook, Marko added: "You have to give him a certain chance.

"The way he works is okay. His attitude is too. But now it's his turn to deliver.

"De Vries comes, although he is a rookie, with a tremendous wealth of experience because he was involved at Mercedes and moved almost all Mercedes cars or customer cars as a third driver or reserve driver. His know-how and his standards were accordingly."