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Nick de Vries has explained the atmosphere in the team following AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost’s “distrustful remarks by engineers”.
At the Saudi Grand Prix last weekend, Tost admitted he had lost faith in his engineers after the AT04 failed to deliver the performance boost he had hoped for.
AlphaTauri CEO Franz Tost holding the microphone at the F1 Saudi Grand Prix press conference on March 17, 2023
Alpha Tauri is one of those midfielders who have turned losers with the introduction of the ground effects car. He finished sixth in the Constructors’ Championship in 2021, but dropped to ninth last year with just 35 points.
De Vries said at a press conference held the day before the opening of the Australian GP, ”Honestly, the atmosphere in the team is great. I think,’ he said.
“I feel like it doesn’t make a difference regardless of what is said, and I think it was taken a little out of context. Everyone is confused.”
“We all want to be as fast as Red Bull, who are winning and giving dominant performances, and we are working hard for that and we are passionate about what we do. there is
“For me, I don’t think the atmosphere in the team has changed and I’m happy with where we are. I’m sure we all want to keep moving forward.”
When asked if Tost was as strict with drivers as he was with engineers, he replied, “You should ask Pierre, who has more experience than me,” and Pierre Gasly, who was sitting next to him. (Alpine).
AlphaTauri’s Nick de Vries and Franz Tost, Red Bull’s Helmut Marko, chatting during the F1 Saudi Grand Prix March 18, 2023
At the previous round in Saudi Arabia, he was forced to withdraw from FP3 due to a problem with the Honda RBPT power unit, and was hit by a series of troubles. But de Vries ignores it and criticizes his own run.
When asked if being forced out of FP3 contributed to his post-race frustration, De Vries said: “We have to take small steps, stay positive and try to close the gap to the top 10. I think it’s in,” he said, focusing on his own performance.
“The last eight laps were quite competitive and I think there were some positive elements, but I don’t think it was necessarily enough in the traffic.”
“Especially at the restart when I was on the hards, it took me too long to get the tires to work, so I was critical of myself. In those moments, I didn’t do enough work. I didn’t.”
“That said, after two races I feel like I’m making a little bit of progress, which is encouraging. Hopefully, we can continue to make progress this weekend and fight for points. I think
Nick de Vries (AlphaTauri) responding to a request for a photo from a fan, F1 Australian Grand Prix March 30, 2023
