Nyck de Vries’ F1 career is on the line after a challenging start to the 2023 season has seen him suffer a series of crashes.
The Dutchman had come into his first full season in the sport with a lot of expectation after he delivered a points finish last year following a last minute call up to Williams.
With his teammate Yuki Tsunoda having been incredibly consistent this year, securing two 10th place finishes and three P11 results, de Vries has been accused of underperforming, as he remains one of two drivers to have not scored a point this year.
De Vries has been shown a “yellow card” by Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko, who has told the Dutchman to step up or face losing his seat.
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Responding to the claims that his time in Formula 1 could end after one year, de Vries has played down speculation around his career, focusing on his performance, rather than rumours.
“It’s no use worrying about what other people think,” de Vries insisted.
“I can’t control that. What I can influence is my own performance.
“I too am disappointed with this first part of the season. I’ve made too many mistakes and I’m the first to admit it. But I know I’m fast enough to earn my place here.”
With AlphaTauri’s sister team Red Bull riding high at the top of the sport, de Vries has received a word of advice from title-leader Max Verstappen.
“We’re all under pressure,” Verstappen said.
“We have to constantly perform and be the best version of ourselves.
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“Trying even harder in such a situation does not work. You just have to race and not make things bigger than they are.
“Nyck knows what to do, it just has to go better for him.”
De Vries will be hoping to score points in the remainder of 2023 if he is to have any chance of not being axed at the end of the year, or potentially even sooner.