Max Verstappen encouraged his fellow Dutchman Nyck de Vries to give Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko a call after De Vries’ stunning Monza Grand Prix cameo that led to his 2023 AlphaTauri deal.
After De Vries shone during his one-off outing at Monza in place of the appendicitis-stricken Alexander Albon, he was courted by a number of F1 teams.
Ultimately Red Bull won his signature and placed him at AlphaTauri, allowing Pierre Gasly to switch to Alpine.
Japanese GP polesitter Verstappen said he knew De Vries was going to drive for AlphaTauri in 2023 ahead of the weekend and revealed the part he’d played in making the move happen.
“Of course, I knew this already, coming [here],” Verstappen said of De Vries’ AlphaTauri deal when asked if he’d played a role in it.
“But of course, it’s incredible for him, he’s been pushing hard for it for a long time, and to finally get that opportunity is amazing for him.
“But also, I think after Monza there was no real discussion anymore, I think.
“Helmut is a guy that, you know, when he likes something, he’s daring enough to then put him [De Vries] in the car. Whereas maybe other teams are a bit more careful.
“That’s great news. We are good friends as well. We had dinner the day after Monza and I told him ‘just give him a call’, you never know what happens.
“It was also the right time to call him, Helmut still probably excited on the Monday from the race on the Sunday.
“It worked out really well and I’m happy for him.”
Verstappen’s role in the deal didn’t extend beyond the words of encouragement to De Vries.
That’s according to AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost who said “no, this was not necessary” when asked if Verstappen had put in a good word for De Vries.
“The right fit from Nyck put in the argumentation,” Tost clarified.
When De Vries joins the F1 grid next year, there will be two full-time Dutch drivers on the grid for the first time since Robert Doornbos and Christijan Albers raced together at the end of 2005 and 2006.
