Vettel opens up about ‘contact’ with Marko over potentially succeeding him in Red Bull advisor role

Sebastian Vettel has revealed that he has spoken with Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko about potentially succeeding the Austrian in his position at some point in the future.

Vettel enjoyed the peak success of his Formula 1 career with Red Bull, bringing the team their first four Drivers’ and Teams’ titles in a dominant run between 2010 and 2013.

After leaving the squad at the end of 2014, the German went on to race for Ferrari and Aston Martin before departing the grid following the 2022 season, bowing out of F1 with a total of 53 wins, 122 podiums and 57 pole positions under his belt.

Since then the four-time World Champion has made appearances at several races; this has seen him lead tributes to Ayrton Senna in Imola and Sao Paulo, while he hosted a Race4Women event in Saudi Arabia to further develop grassroots karting in the country.

But now Vettel has acknowledged that he could potentially return in another role one day, having had early talks with Marko about the possibility of succeeding him when the 82-year-old decides to retire.

Speaking to ORF TV’s Sport am Sonntag podcast, Vettel explained: “There have been a few headlines recently. I still get along great with Helmut, and we're in contact regarding the topic.

“[Talks are] not yet that intensive or in-depth, it's perhaps something that could play a role. In what form remains to be seen.”

The 37-year-old also suggested that it would be impossible to “replace” Marko, as well as voicing his hope that the Austrian remains in his role for some time yet.

“He's irreplaceable. Let's just leave it at that,” Vettel added. “His character alone... and he's made a very, very significant contribution to what the entire team has achieved over the years since 2005. And perhaps it wouldn't even be the goal to have someone replace him.

"He's said a few times that he's going to quit, but he's still here. I hope he stays with us for a long time. But of course, at some point, things will inevitably move on, and he knows that. He's a brutal realist and can assess things quite well. He'll sense when the time is right.

"I have to admit, though, that I haven't been that close in recent years. But I do think I know what he's doing. And no matter what happens, there's still a lot to learn from him."