Sebastian Vettel has responded to Helmut Marko’s statement that he would be the ‘ideal successor’ to the Red Bull advisor. The former F1 driver understands why the Austrian came to this conclusion, but is not yet eager to take over Marko’s role. ‘Red Bull also needs to start developing in a new, different direction,’ says Vettel.
Sebastian Vettel left Formula 1 at the end of 2022, but remains occasionally connected to motorsport. For instance, the German organized a tribute to Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger during the past GP Emilia-Romagna. Vettel previously spent six seasons with Red Bull during his career, winning the driver’s title four times. Team advisor Helmut Marko sees the German potentially returning.”The Austrian labeled Vettel as his ‘ideal successor’. “He has been a brilliant strategist within all his Formula 1 teams,” Marko told Sky Sports F1. “It would be great if he would take over my job one day. He doesn’t need a year for that. After two races, he already has it under control.”
‘There’s only one Helmut’
Vettel now responds to Marko’s statements during the Backstage Boxengasse podcast. “I think there’s only one Helmut. That’s Helmut’s role,” the former F1 driver seems reluctant to take over Marko’s role. However, Vettel does not completely dismiss the idea. “The challenge is generally very inspiring and of course Helmut’s and my experiences are similar in certain respects.”
“He also grew up in motorsport, in a very different era, but essentially the wheel is still turning in the same way,” Vettel continues. “It’s still about the same as before, I don’t know how long ago, even though the formula has changed significantly since then.” The four-time world champion adds at the end that when the day comes that Marko stops, it will be a huge loss for Red Bull. But: “Red Bull also needs to start developing in a new, different direction.”
