One journalist can’t believe that a driver on this year’s Formula 1 grid is performing worse than Nyck de Vries so far.
AlphaTauri, now known as Visa Cash App RB, axed De Vries midway through last season.
But much to the disbelief of Ian Parkes, speaking on the Racing News 365 YouTube channel, one of the 2024 crop has struggled even more than the Dutchman did up to this point.
De Vries earned a shot at AlphaTauri on the back of an impressive stand-in showing for Williams at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix.
Deputising for an unwell Alex Albon, he brought the car home in ninth place to match full-time driver Nicholas Latifi’s tally for the whole campaign.
However, he failed to live up to that promise when he earned a seat of his own.
De Vries failed to score a single point across his 10 races behind the wheel, finishing no higher than 12th.
In half of those Grands Prix, he was classified 17th or lower.
Teammate Yuki Tsunoda comprehensively defeated him in their internal battle, winning 8-2 in both qualifying and the race.
The bosses at Red Bull subsequently decided to axe him during the summer break and bring in Daniel Ricciardo.
Damning comparison between Daniel Ricciardo and Nyck de Vries
When it was put to him that the qualifying pace gap between Tsunoda and Ricciardo is larger than the disparity between the Japanese driver and De Vries, Parkes expressed his surprise.
He says the stat shows exactly why Ricciardo is under pressure heading to Suzuka next weekend.
RB offered the Australian a shot at redemption after McLaren dropped him for compatriot Oscar Piastri at the end of 2022.
“It has clearly highlighted the difference, and why Daniel is already under pressure,” Parkes said.
“To come out of these first three Grands Prix and to be, on average, slower than Nyck de Vries. Wow.
“That is why we’re going into this Japanese Grand Prix now, and the following one in China with Daniel the man in the spotlight. He’s got to produce something.”
Will Ricciardo lose his seat?
Ricciardo started the year looking like a ‘dead-cert’ to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull in 2025 if he delivered, but the narrative has already shifted dramatically.
The Australian bowed out in Q1 at his home race after race control deleted his lap time for exceeding track limits.
While that partly explains the pace differential with Tsunoda, it also consigned Ricciardo to a starting position of 18th.
From there, he could only progress to 12th, while his teammate scored RB’s first points of the season with an excellent seventh place.
There were subsequently claims in the New Zealand press that Ricciardo could forfeit his seat to Liam Lawson if he didn’t improve by Miami.
AlphaTauri called on the 22-year-old for five races in the second half of last year when Ricciardo broke his hand.
Lawson’s management team insist they have ‘no idea’ where the stories have come from, and Red Bull director Helmut Marko has rejected any such notion.
But the uncertainty around the Australian’s future will only ramp up if he doesn’t improve.
He won seven Grands Prix during his first stint at Red Bull but that will count for little if he leaves them under the impression that he’s long past his best.
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