Van de Grint reacts to Marko's new critical statements about De Vries: "I don't think this is appropriate"

Nyck de Vries is currently not living up to the expectations of AlphaTauri and Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko in his debut season. Speculation has been circulating for some time that the Dutchman may not make it to the end of the season, and meanwhile it is already highly questionable whether De Vries will be allowed to race in his home race in Zandvoort, especially after Marko once again did not exactly praise the Dutchman on Friday in Silverstone. Kees van de Grint is deeply dissatisfied with the situation, and he calls the way the Red Bull advisor is treating the AlphaTauri driver 'tasteless.'

De Vries' seat has been in jeopardy for some time, and after another disappointing performance in Austria, rumors of the Dutchman's premature departure are growing stronger again. Many people are wondering if De Vries will even make it to his home race, especially after Marko's words on Friday. Van de Grint criticizes Marko's attitude and then lashes out at the octogenarian.

"This is just not very pleasant," Van de Grint begins his story on the Viaplay program Shakedown. "I think he starts off nicely with the question: when is Zandvoort?, but then the niceties quickly disappear," referring to the fact that Marko once again mentioned that De Vries is not living up to the expectations. "I also talked about this last week on Slipstream. I really find this tasteless. Not because he's a racing driver, but I wouldn't do this to other people either. This is not the right attitude, all these remarks. That guy is a top driver, maybe not the best, but a top driver. Everyone on the grid can drive well."

Red Bull's approach doesn't help De Vries

Van de Grint also doesn't really understand why De Vries, particularly by Marko, is constantly criticized in the media. The AlphaTauri driver could really use any form of support right now. "He has an impressive resume, and at the beginning of the season, they say he has to qualify in the top ten every race. They had high expectations, and now they constantly bash him, while he's going through a rough patch. That's obvious because of course he wants to perform better as well, and I believe he can. But this way, you don't have any confidence that your team is doing anything for you, do you? Unfortunately, Franz Tost, whom I consider a good friend, hasn't been very flattering either. I don't think this is appropriate," Van de Grint concludes.