If you thought Formula 1 was a rough business, then Red Bull is the hardest player. They may be regarded as one of the best teams in the history of the sport, but that’s only recently. The Milton-Keynes-based outfit has carved a niche out for itself in Formula 1 for being one of the most ruthless employers this sport has seen. The Red Bull junior academy is headed by their senior advisor, Dr. Helmut Marko. And the Austrian sends shivers down the spines of its current and ex-stable of drivers, even to this day! Nyck de Vries will be feeling the same heat as we speak.

Marko is known for being an authoritarian leader. Wanting only the best from his drivers, he’s known to be very hard on them. Drivers such as Alexander Albon and Pierre Gasly have felt his wrath first-hand. That being said, in his search for excellence, Marko may have himself created a few problems for the Bulls. This can be perfectly explained by looking at the curious case of Nyck de Vries.

How Nyck de Vries exposed Helmut Marko

After superb points finish at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix for Williams during his F1 debut, de Vries was lapped up by Marko, after just one race, for AlphaTauri‘s second seat alongside Yuki Tsunoda. However, after failing to live up to Marko’s lofty standard, de Vries is supposedly being shown the exit doors by the Austrian after only five races into the 2023 season.

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On the latest episode of the F1 Nation podcast, Italian journalist, Roberto Chinchero said, “About De Vries, I don’t know why…I just wrote a story last week that this guy was chosen after one race, because of one race and the risk is of to be fired after five races! So, it’s very difficult to understand the politics of Helmut Marko.”

But according to Chinchero, this exposes another predicament Marko may have inflicted upon the Bulls. “If you think, now there are on the starting grid drivers like [Pierre] Gasly, like [Carlos] Sainz that were Red Bull drivers. And in the end they went to the [driver] market to keep [Sergio] Perez because they have no drivers available.”

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While Marko will persist with his way of handling the stable of drivers he has, is Red Bull really suffering?

Helmut Marko credited with Max Verstappen’s success

Helmut Marko has a certain way of dealing with his drivers. If history will lend it’s helpful pages, we’ve seen many fail his trial by fire. But in doing so, the Milton-Keynes-based outfit also got their hands on a generational talent like Verstappen as ex-F1 champion Damon Hill suggested.

Hill said, “But I think more than often, if you did that to Max, he responded. And he delivered. So there is an argument to say, well, the tough will survive. And the weak will have to be discarded,” while discussing Marko’s approach to young drivers.

But on the balance of things, is Red Bull losing out more than what they have gained? “But the turnover at Red Bull, this is a fairly typical routine, isn’t it? They take the driver through halfway through the season. And then they go, right, you’re out. Someone else is in. And they get a chance to find out how the other driver coped. So they actually turn over quite a few drivers that way,” concluded Hill.

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Is Helmut Marko’s way really beneficial for Red Bull and the sport of Formula 1 as a whole?