MASSIVE revelation emerges about Christian Horner role in Nyck de Vries sacking

Red Bull

MASSIVE revelation emerges about Horner role in De Vries sacking

The Dutch driver was let go by AlphaTauri this week after a series of poor performances

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Thursday 13 July 2023 07:42

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Christian Horner wasn't involved in the sacking of Nyck de Vries from AlphaTauri – with Helmut Marko informing him of the Dutchman's departure over the phone on Tuesday.

ESPN report that the decision was made while Ricciardo was stunning Red Bull management with his pace in a Pirelli tyre test at Silverstone, with Horner calling the veteran advisor an hour before the firing to tell him how well the Australian was going.

While Ricciardo was in a very different situation to drivers qualifying on Saturday, both in terms of track conditions and tyres (running the 2024 Pirellis), he recorded a lap which would have been fast enough to sit alongside Max Verstappen on the front row at the British Grand Prix.

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Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez notably failed to make it out of the first part of qualifying for the race, the fifth consecutive grand prix at which he'd failed to make it through to Q3.

Changes at AlphaTauri

“There’s no doubt about his driving skills," said AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost. He already knows many of us, so his integration will be easy and straightforward. The team will also profit a lot from his experience, as he is an eight-time Formula 1 Grand Prix winner."

While it may seem unorthodox for Horner to have no say in the personnel decision at what is ostensibly his team's feeder group, there's method in the madness – the two teams have been acting relatively independently of each other on operational matters, a gap which they intend to close next year.

The AlphaTauri name won't be returning for 2024, although the replacement hasn't yet been revealed, with the two teams aiming to link together more closely on operations.

There's a prevailing school of thought which suggests that Ricciardo's half-season with AlphaTauri is an audition for a drive in the lead Red Bull team next year, replacing the underperforming Sergio Perez. Watch this space.