Nyck de Vries says he hopes he can prove Dr Helmut Marko wrong through his on-track performances.
De Vries is one of three rookies in the Formula 1 field this year but has struggled in the opening rounds alongside team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.
A series of on-track mistakes and pace deficits has thrown his future in F1 into speculation.
The scenario of him losing his seat was further fueled by Marko’s recent comments to the media.
When asked if he and Red Bull team boss Christian Horner disagree on driver signings, Marko said: ”Not often, but sometimes we do. The last one… I would say de Vries.
“Basically it’s AlphaTauri, but we’re a big family and we get opinions. He [Horner] was not a fan of De Vries. I would say at the moment it looks like he was right.”
Red Bull has a wide range of junior drivers that it could promote into the AlphaTauri team to replace de Vries.
However, the Dutchman asserts that he is firmly focused on changing Marko’s opinion.
“I think Dr. Marko would appreciate if I proved him wrong on track,” he said.
“That’s all I kind of feel about it and is within my control. So that’s it.”
But amid all the speculation, de Vries insists he is not willing to force through improvements and instead will work with the team to find answers.
“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 time for things to come together.”
