Good race in Spain ’important’ for de Vries - Tost

Serious pressure remains on the shoulders of struggling Dutch rookie Nyck de Vries.

The 28-year-old headed into Monaco amid Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko’s warning that more poor results for the Alpha Tauri newcomer could result in his ousting.

De Vries then had a smoother weekend on the Principality’s streets - although his qualifying deficit to teammate Yuki Tsunoda now stands at 6-0.

"It looks like we are getting closer to the top 10," said de Vries after finishing 12th on Sunday.

"I don’t think we did anything wrong. I learned that you can’t force it. I must be patient."

Just how patient Red Bull and Alpha Tauri remain, however, is another story.

"It is important that he has a good race in Barcelona," Alpha Tauri team boss Franz Tost told Viaplay ahead of this weekend’s Spanish GP.

"It’s the first circuit he knows really well. I hope our car does well there, and then we’ll see."

Sim racing star Rudy van Buren, who is a simulator driver for Red Bull, agrees that Barcelona is another critical outing for fellow Dutchman de Vries.

"Yes, he knows the job he has to do there. It’s going to be a benchmark for him," he said.

"We can talk about it any way we like, but in the end the performance has to come and then we will see. Franz doesn’t want to talk about it much, Helmut doesn’t give clear answers, neither does Nyck.

"In the end, it’s only about performance."