AlphaTauri driver Nyck de Vries has insisted he is "not here to joke" as the pressure of F1 continues to be applied. The former Formula E World Champion's future has been put at risk by a disappointing start to life at the Faenza-based outfit - de Vries remaining one of only two drivers to remain scoreless after the opening nine rounds. Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Helmet Marko has been forthcoming in his criticism of the Dutchman, with the team's junior programme allowing for a number of potential replacement options as well as current reserve Daniel Ricciardo. But a defiant de Vries told media, including RacingNews365.com : "I just try to continue to focus on myself and be the best I can. "That is not only on track, but off track and I take the sport and passion very seriously, I am not here to joke around. "But I don't necessarily think there is one particular area, I just want to be performing better as a whole."
Upgrade hope
Though Yuki Tsunoda has dominated the intra-team battle against de Vries, AlphaTauri has had struggles with the car since the opening race of the year. An upgrade package has been added for this weekend's British Grand Prix and de Vries said: "I really hope the update will bring us a little bit more performance. "The past two races have been a little bit tough for us as a team. It is always a bit of an unknown to predict and expect how that will work out on track, but hopefully, it will give us a little bit more to fight closer to the top 10. "But honestly, we don't know at this stage. There is reason to hope that we will make a small step forward, but the magnitude is still unknown."
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