Helmut Marko Addresses Sebastian Vettel Replacement Rumours: "We Are Often In Touch"
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has spoken out on recent rumours of Sebastian Vettel taking his place on the Austrian team, branding them "hasty".
Marko is a long-standing member of the team, overseeing the Red Bull driver programme since 1999 and then has been the Red Bull Racing F1 team advisor since they joined the grid in 2005 as well as AlphaTauri.
Vettel has been mentioned as a potential replacement for the almost 80-year-old since he headed into retirement at the end of the 2022 season. Vettel had his most successful years during his time with the Austrian team when he won his four consecutive drivers championships between 2010 and 2013.
The rumours started with Sky Sports F1 pundit Ted Kravitz predicting the move, he explained:
“We may well see a surprise comeback of Sebastian Vettel this year, but it won’t be as a driver.
“I think he will replace Helmut Marko, that is more likely. As the sort of motorsport advisor.”
The German driver started his F1 career with the Toro Rosso team in 2007 before moving up to Red Bull in 2009. After his four consecutive wins, he made the move to Ferrari in 2015 and then again to Aston Martin in 2021. Vettel hasn't made any announcements about what he will be doing next but it is widely thought, and hoped, that he will be back in the paddock in some capacity soon.
Addressing the rumours during an interview with Blick, Marko shot them down saying:
"That's really a bit hasty. My next goal is the third world title with Max Verstappen.
"We are often in touch. Seb is currently still in the phase of self-discovery. I don't think he wants to travel to every race again and work more. With significantly less pay!"
Whilst it doesn't seem Vettel will be taking Marko's role anytime soon, we are all excited to see what he decides to do next.