Marko speaks out on EXCITING Vettel return rumour
Marko speaks out on EXCITING Vettel return rumour
Red Bull sporting advisor Helmut Marko has played down speculation that four-time Formula 1 world champion could return to the paddock to replace him in the near future.
Vettel, who won all of his titles with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013, retired from the sport at the end of 2022 after two seasons spent fighting in the midfield with Aston Martin.
The German's spell with the Silverstone-based squad followed a seven-season stint with Ferrari which produced diminishing returns, with Charles Leclerc eventually arriving to replace Kimi Raikkonen and comprehensively outperforming Vettel in their final campaign together.
Speculation has been rife as to Vettel's future plans, with the 35-year-old saying in his retirement announcement video that he believes his "greatest race" is "still to come."
Vettel's increasing environmental activism and support for LGBT+ rights has led some to believe that he will focus on other interests post-F1 and will never return to top tier motorsport in a professional capacity, but Sky Sports F1 presenter Ted Kravitz fuelled speculation that Vettel was being lined up as Marko's replacement as soon as this year.
"We may well see a surprise comeback of Sebastian Vettel this year, but it won’t be as a driver," Kravitz said. "I kind of think he will come back to Red Bull. I think he will replace Helmut Marko, that is more likely. As the sort of motorsport advisor."
79-year-old Marko, though, has poured scorn on the idea. The Austrian has been in charge of Red Bull's younger driver programme since 1999, overseeing the F1 careers of drivers including Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz, and insists that he wants to continue working with double world champion Max Verstappen.
READ MORE: FIA chief hit with fresh 'sexism and bullying' allegations
"[Being replaced by Vettel] is not on the agenda," Marko told Swiss newspaper Blick. "If, as is the case at the moment, I can be with the best driver in Verstappen, resigning is not an issue. That's really a bit hasty. My next goal is the third world title with Verstappen. With a different driver pairing, my situation would definitely be different too.”
Marko added that he did not believe Vettel wanted to return to the F1 paddock anytime soon.
“We are still in contact,” Marko added. “Seb is currently still in the self-discovery phase but I don’t think he wants to travel to every race again and work harder for significantly less money."
READ MORE: Ex-F1 boss calls Hamilton a 'SPOILED little boy'
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Haas announce Hulkenberg EXIT as F1 star's new team confirmed
- 2 hours ago
F1 franchise welcomes return of INCREDIBLE feature
- 52 minutes ago
F1 News Today: Red Bull star set to QUIT team as F1 driver role CONFIRMED for 2025
- 1 hour ago
F1 team set to axe BOTH star drivers
- 1 hour ago
Red Bull to lose F1 MVP as true cost of Horner saga hits
- 3 hours ago
F1 pundit reveals the thing about Wolff that ANNOYS Horner
- Today 09:12
Related news
Marko reveals Vettel requirements for stunning F1 comeback
Wolff drops Vettel F1 return clue
Vettel considering 'interesting' F1 return option
Hamilton backs Vettel to REPLACE him at Mercedes
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860