Sebastian Vettel to succeed Helmut Marko at Red Bull?

If Helmut Marko's expected successor at Red Bull Was it him? Retired from the F1 since the end of 2022, Sebastian Vettel has moved away from the spotlight but still remains attentive to what is happening there today. He could well still be an important player in the paddocks in the years to come since his name has been circulating for several months as a replacement for the Austrian.

In a podcast on ORF, Austria's leading media outlet, the German revealed that he had discussed with Marko the possibility of succeeding him. In fact, a few months ago, in front of the media, the latter described the four-time F1 world champion as his "ideal successor".

In any case, still in this same podcast, Vettel did not exclude this option. "There have been some big headlines recently. I still get along very well with Helmut, and we are in contact about this.", he assures. Before adding that these discussions "are not yet very in-depth or concrete. But there may be an area in which I could play a role. In what form, that remains to be seen.".

Vettel on Marko: "He is irreplaceable, let's leave it that way"

Helmut Marko, who turns 82 this year, has a multifaceted role at Red Bull, including heading up the development program for young drivers in the academy. The former Red Bull driver Ferrari ou Aston Martin believes that the Austrian's influence is such that one person would not even be enough to replace him.

"He's irreplaceable, let's leave it at that. His character alone... He's made a very, very significant contribution to everything the team has accomplished since 2005. Maybe the goal wouldn't even be to have someone to replace him.", the German continues to advance to the ORF.

Sebastian Vettel hopes that Helmut Marko will remain involved with Red Bull for a long time to come. "He's said several times that he's going to stop, but he's still here. Of course, at some point, things will have to continue without him. He's good at assessing situations. He'll know when the time is right." concludes the four-time world champion.

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