AlphaTauri driver Nyck de Vries has admitted that he has made too many mistakes at the start of his Formula 1 career, but says it is in the nature of the sport to be under constant pressure to perform.
Following a challenging opening chapter to the 2023 season that has contained a series of on-track errors as well as being out-paced by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, reports emerged that de Vries’ spot at AlphaTauri was in danger.
The speculation was given further fuel amid Red Bull junior driver Liam Lawson’s strong start to the 2023 Super Formula campaign.
However, de Vries has asserted that he feels secure at AlphaTauri for the time being, but says that he is not surprised by the circulating rumours.
“I mean, it’s not a shock to me, it’s normal, it’s this industry, it’s always been like that in Red Bull and in Formula 1,” de Vries said.
“I genuinely believe it’s not different than earlier in the season. You’ve always got to perform, you’ve always got to deliver, and I’ve had that throughout my whole career.
“As a driver, you always kind of fight for your survival, and you always need to deliver to continue your career forward successfully. So it’s kind of normal, it’s how it’s been always.”
De Vries added that he hasn’t read any of the media speculation, but has “picked up on some things, just through receiving messages from some people” over the previous weeks.
The Dutchman has endured a difficult run of F1 events; in Baku, he crashed out of both qualifying and the grand prix before he made contact with Lando Norris on the opening lap of the race in Miami.
While he acknowledges that he has made a number of errors, he highlighted that he has shown flashes of positive speed.
“I definitely think I’ve personally made too many mistakes, I will admit that very openly,” he said.
“I also believe that the pace has been strong at several moments, and that kind of encourages me and gives me confidence.
“But I haven’t been able to execute at the end, and haven’t been able to put it together. I do believe the speed has been there, but equally I made too many mistakes to turn that into a result.
“That’s kind of part of the learning process you go through, sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t.
“You can make it big, you can keep it small, we’re all human, we make mistakes and we move on, that’s it.”
