De Vries on Verstappen: 'He will become one of the greatest F1 drivers'
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The Dutch Grand Prix is scheduled for the end of August, and for Nyck de Vries, this means finally racing on home soil again. The 28-year-old driver has only raced in the Netherlands once since his time in karts, during Formula Renault 2.0 at the Assen circuit. De Vries is now looking forward to the weekend at Circuit Zandvoort while praising compatriot Max Verstappen.
"It feels special, really very special, to be able to drive in the Netherlands as an F1 driver," De Vries states in an interview with Red Bull's website. "The fact I get to experience that is beyond description. It is the pinnacle of motorsport, especially because the sport is so alive here because of Max. He's going to be one of the greatest drivers of all time."
The Dutch Grand Prix is once again sold out, with around 105,000 Dutch people in the stands or in the dunes every day, creating a unique atmosphere. De Vries has seen the footage from the past two years and cannot wait to be part of the weekend himself. "The hype is huge, so the timing couldn't be better for me. It's really very special."
De Vries on working within Red Bull
De Vries has been part of the Mercedes junior program in recent years. The Dutchman also drove free practice sessions for teams such as McLaren, Williams and Aston Martin. De Vries has experienced several large organizations from the inside, but Red Bull stands out from the rest by being very performance-driven.
He explains that most racing teams operate broadly the same on a technical level. "There is no right or wrong, as success can be achieved in many ways. It does stand out that Red Bull is, above all, very performance-driven. Everything is about performance and results. That sounds like an open door. In this world, it is normal to want to perform, but I feel at Red Bull, the emphasis is more on that than at other teams. For example, it is not a car manufacturer, as some other teams are. Then it makes sense to make the link between cars and technology. At Red Bull, there is only one thing that matters: winning."