De Vries admits speculation over AlphaTauri F1 seat is "not a shock"
Nyck de Vries says "it's not a shock" to hear speculation that he could be replaced at AlphaTauri after making frequent mistakes during his rookie Formula 1 season.
The F2 and Formula E champion sits bottom of the championship, level with Williams newcomer Logan Sargeant as the pair have failed to score a point after five rounds.
With commentators then latching onto Red Bull third driver and eight-time grand prix winner Daniel Ricciardo having a customary AlphaTauri seat fitting earlier this month, rumours regarding de Vries' future began to swirl.
Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has reportedly set next month's Spanish GP as a cut-off for seeing a marked improvement from de Vries, but this came before the cancellation of the flood-hit Emilia Romagna GP.
Speaking ahead of the Monaco race this weekend, de Vries addressed the speculation over the safety of his place on the grid and conceded it was not a "shock" to hear the uncertainty.
He said: "Yes [I feel safe in my seat]. Also, it's not a shock to me. It's normal. It's this industry. It's always been like this in Red Bull and in Formula 1. I genuinely believe it's no different than earlier in the season.
"You've always got to perform, you've always got to deliver. It's been like that throughout my whole career.
"As a driver, you always fight for your survival, and you always need to deliver to continue your career forwards successfully. It's normal. It's how it's been always."
Nyck de Vries, AlphaTauri
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
De Vries added that he tried to avoid the reports but that messages had filtered through regarding his future.
Continuing to bat away notions of heightened pressure, de Vries reckoned the bigger F1 audience was to blame for the heightened scrutiny of his AlphaTauri position.
He said: "I honestly believe there is no more pressure than there is at any other time. Actually, the only difference in Formula 1 is that you have a lot more noise around it.
"Especially when there is a bit of a gap, there is more speculation and talking. That is probably the biggest difference relative to any other championship. But when it comes to the job, everyone needs to do their job and perform."
De Vries has been hurt by frequent crashes. He shunted in Azerbaijan qualifying before clipping the wall to retire from the race. He also clashed with McLaren's Lando Norris in Miami.
But the driver did not shy away from these errors, saying: "I definitely think that I personally made too many mistakes. I will admit that very openly.
"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 put it together. But I do believe the speed has been there."
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