Helmut Marko has branded Nyck de Vries as “my biggest mistake” following an unsuccessful F1 stint with Red Bull junior team AlphaTauri in 2023.

Having followed up the prestigious F2 (formerly GP2) title in 2019 with the Formula E crown in 2021, De Vries burst on to the F1 scene with an unexpected opportunity in 2022.

Helmut Marko: Nyck de Vries signing my ‘biggest mistake’ at Red Bull

With lead driver Alex Albon ruled out of that year’s Italian Grand Prix through appendicitis, then-Mercedes tester De Vries competed at Monza for the Williams team.

The Dutchman made a fine impression on his debut, scoring two points for ninth place having outpaced regular driver Nicholas Latifi in qualifying.

De Vries’ point-scoring exploits for Williams saw him emerge as a hot property on the driver market, eventually agreeing a deal to join AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls) for 2023 following Pierre Gasly’s switch to Alpine.

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However, De Vries struggled across his stint with AlphaTauri, finishing no higher than 12th before being replaced by Daniel Ricciardo after just 10 races.

Marko revealed at the time that Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, held severe reservations about the initial signing of De Vries, admitting that the driver’s results had proved Horner’s instincts “right.”

Horner himself later described how he regarded De Vries as a “stopgap” signing, confessing that he “just didn’t see how [he] fitted within the junior program” given Red Bull’s history of promoting talent from their own academy.

Marko revealed last year that Red Bull’s shareholders have been pushing for Red Bull to revert to bringing through young drivers, with Ricciardo and Sergio Perez, 35 and 34 respectively, both losing their seats over the last 12 months.

Liam Lawson, 21, and Isack Hadjar, 20, will contest their first full campaigns with Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls respectively in F1 2025.

Speaking to Italian publication Autosprint, Marko has conceded that it was “undoubtedly” an error to sign De Vries, with the Dutchman’s performances in F1 failing to match his impressive record in other categories.

He said: “My biggest mistake? That was undoubtedly Nyck de Vries.

“He did very well on his debut for Williams in Monza. He also had an incredible CV. He was Formula 2 champion and Formula E champion.

“But for us the stopwatch said that Nyck de Vries was the wrong choice.”

De Vries, who will turn 30 next month, has since returned to Formula E with Mahindra Racing, as well as competing with Toyota in the World Endurance Championship.

Alongside Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi, the former Toyota, Sauber and Caterham F1 star, De Vries won the 6 Hours of Imola race in 2024, as well as finishing second at the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours.

He also competed in three rounds of the Japan-based Super Formula series in 2024 with a best result of 11th.

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De Vries was spotted behind the wheel of an F1 car for the first time since his AlphaTauri exit last November when he was spotted representing McLaren in a Pirelli tyre test at Paul Ricard.

McLaren secured their first Constructors’ title since 1998 last year, with a combined six victories for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri enough to see off Ferrari and reigning champions Red Bull, who slipped to a disappointing third.

De Vries’ F1 return prompted Max Verstappen, Red Bull’s reigning four-time World Champion, to joke that he will request information about the secrets behind McLaren’s success.

Asked about De Vries’ McLaren test, Verstappen quipped: “He will send me a full report of what is going on!

“No, of course not. We always keep it very professional. That’s his job.

“I’m not there to try and steal information. I don’t want to put him in that position anyway.”

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