Former Red Bull F1 starlet claims drivers treated as 'disposable assets'
Former Red Bull F1 starlet claims drivers treated as 'disposable assets'
Dan Ticktum feels empathy for Nyck de Vries, who lost his seat at AlphaTauri to Daniel Ricciardo last week, stating that drivers often get treated as disposable assets.
However, the former Red Bull junior driver does ultimately understand the decision. De Vries was dismissed by AlphaTauri only ten races into his first Formula 1 season.
READ MORE: De Vries ALREADY eyed for new seat after AlphaTauri sacking
An incredibly harsh decision, according to many. If there's anyone who knows how harsh the Red Bull family can be, it is Dan Ticktum. The British driver became a Red Bull junior in 2017 and was initially seen as a talent to watch.
However, as Red Bull was unhappy with his results in the Japanese Super Formula Championship, he got sent away halfway through 2019.
"I won't comment too much. All I’ll say is that Nyck’s obviously a very good driver, he’s proved that in various categories", Ticktum reacted to the news during an exclusive interview with GPFans.
READ MORE: New F1 track deal 'advancing' as calendar could add ANOTHER new circuit
Even though Ticktum feels empathy for De Vries, he does understand where the decision is coming from.
"When you're representing Red Bull, AlphaTauri - these big companies, big manufacturers, whatever you want to call them - they can't afford to waste half a season or a season on a driver getting up to speed.
"Because Nyck would get up to speed for sure, but I think he has just struggled.
"I don’t know if it's pressure. Obviously, the AT04 has been pretty difficult to drive this year, so that won't help either", he continued.
"But they can't afford to wait. They need someone that gets in and goes quickly straight away. De Vries obviously has quite a lot of experience, he’s been around the block in motorsport let's say, he has won a lot of stuff, did well in Monza.
"I guess they predicted that he'd hit the ground running a bit quicker than he has. They've got other people in the frame, [Liam] Lawson and Ricciardo, who are very, very good drivers as well.
"So they just haven't got the patience, they need to hit the ground running."
Mental health in motorsports
Asked about the impact of these events on a driver's mental health, Ticktum replied: "I think we are very much treated as sort of disposable assets at the best of times, to be honest."
"There's a balance obviously, but a lot of us spend 15 years of our life getting to the point to be in the frame, to be a professional racing driver who gets paid.
" It’s a lot of sacrifice in your youth, a lot of work and a lot of money to get there - whether it's family money, sponsors, anything else, it's a big old journey."
"And when you do get to the top, a lot of the time you can be treated like shit, I'm afraid. But that's just sort of the nature of the game", the Formula E driver admits.
"Cream rises to the top, and you've got to try and stay there, but it is tough. And there is a lot of pressure, especially in his position."
"I mean, he's thinking: 'Great, I've got this golden opportunity.' But two races in, people are already judging him and all the media are down his neck, it's fucking horrible to be honest.
"So I do feel a bit sorry for him in that sense. Because like I said, there's nothing against how good he is as a driver, he's proven it. It just unfortunately hasn’t quite worked out for him, which is a shame."
READ MORE: Best F1 TV commentators and presenters: GPFans Broadcaster Power Rankings
Related news
Ricciardo ready to be 'beat up' in Austin after long injury layoff
Lawson reveals hilarious mishap that threatened to derail Italian Grand Prix
Two F1 teams set to change their names for 2024
Lawson 2024 F1 seat snub detailed by AlphaTauri boss
Most read
FIA take action after Verstappen track limits mishap
F1 News Today: FIA make changes as Mercedes receive double penalty and Horner curses bad luck
Red Bull to replace driver at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Stroll issues Alonso Aston Martin contract verdict
Horner takes aim at Kravitz with savage jibe at Sky Sports pundit
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Nyck De Vries
- Liam Lawson
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2023
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Australia 2023
- Grand Prix of China 2023
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2023
- Miami Grand Prix 2023
- Qatar Airways Gran Premio Del Made In Italy E Dell'emilia Romagna 2023
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2023
- AWS Gran Premio de España 2023
- Grand Prix du Canada 2023
- Grand Prix of Austria 2023
- Aramco Grand Prix of Great Britain 2023
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2023
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2023
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Italy 2023
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2023
- Grand Prix of Japan 2023
- Qatar Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of the United States 2023
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2023
- Rolex Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2023
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2023
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860