Nyck de Vries vowed to prove Helmut Marko wrong after the Red Bull adviser admitted signing him for AlphaTauri may have been a mistake.
The Red Bull sister team signed the Dutchman to replace Pierre Gasly, who was leaving for Alpine. De Vries had thrust himself into contention after a successful Formula 1 debut, filling in for Alex Albon at Monza last year.
But he wasn't their first choice, as IndyCar racer Colton Herta had been approached only for the FIA to block the move. And AlphaTauri chief Franz Tost wanted Mick Schumacher to fill Gasly's seat.
He was overruled, though, and De Vries was chosen to race alongside Yuki Tsunoda. He was Marko's choice after a meeting between them in the weeks after that impressive Monza performance.
Marko admitted this week, though, that Tost wasn't the only one who preferred another option. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, the Austrian told the Inside Line podcast, disagreed with his choice.
"Not often, but sometimes we do [disagree]," he said. "The last one... I would say De Vries. Basically, it's AlphaTauri, but we're a big family and we get opinions. [Horner] was not a fan of De Vries. I would say at the moment it looks like he's [Horner] right."
De Vries has struggled to adapt to his first full-time F1 seat and is yet to score a point for AlphaTauri. In contrast, team-mate Tsunoda has been one of the stand-out stars of the season so far by consistently fighting for points at every race.
The Dutchman, 28, was questioned about Marko's comments as he faced the media on Thursday, ahead of this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix. In response, he suggested his only focus is on changing his bosses' minds.
"I think Dr Marko would appreciate it if I proved him wrong on track," De Vries said. "That's all I feel about it and what's within my control, so that's it." Asked if the pressure is increasing with each passing race weekend, he added: "Yeah, but equally there is no need to force anything.
"I think whenever you are trying harder or trying to force something that is not kind of ready then it won't happen and then mistakes will happen. So, I think the key is to just continue as we are and continue to focus on the job, remain patient and then I think the potential is there. So, it's just a matter of trying for things to come together."
