Sebastian Vettel reacts to Helmut Marko exit as Red Bull vacancy speculation addressed

Sebastian Vettel has revealed his reaction to the split of Helmut Marko and Red Bull after over 20 years, having won four titles due to Marko’s talent-spotting.

Vettel was the first driver to win a Drivers’ Championship for Red Bull, having been signed to the team’s junior driver programme in the mid-2000s as Helmut Marko spotted the German driver’s talents.

Sebastian Vettel: Helmut Marko the ‘architect’ of Red Bull success

Four-time F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel joined the Red Bull junior team while still in karting, a programme operated by Red Bull GmbH and overseen by Helmut Marko.

Over the last 25 years, the programme has developed numerous drivers to the point of making it into F1, producing multiple race winners and podium finishes, as well as stand-out talents such as Vettel and Max Verstappen.

Vettel was the first driver to reward Marko and Red Bull’s faith in him when he won his maiden Drivers’ Championship in 2010, going on to win four in a row before departing for a new challenge at Ferrari.

Speaking to Germany’s F1-Insider.com, Vettel was taken aback at the news earlier this week that Marko had decided to call time on his F1 career and depart Red Bull.

The 82-year-old told Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff of his decision after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, although sources have told PlanetF1.com that this may have been a case of jumping before being pushed, as the relationship between Marko and the new Red Bull power structure of Mintzlaff and team boss Laurent Mekies is said to have deteriorated in recent months.

“I was just as surprised as everyone else,” Vettel said of the seismic news.

“I wish Helmut all the best for the future and a well-deserved retirement.”

With Marko’s talent-spotting proving a defining point in Red Bull’s successes, Vettel believes his contribution to the team’s legacy can’t be downplayed.

“He is the architect of the success of Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso,” Vettel said.

“Not only when it came to choosing drivers – key decisions on team constellation, personnel and strategy were also down to him.

Paddock whispers have suggested that Vettel himself could be a candidate to step into the role of driver talent spotting and development on behalf of Red Bull. Having retired from F1 at the end of ’22, the German has spent the last three years spending time with his family and working on passion projects related to the environment and sustainability, but he hasn’t ruled out an eventual return to the motorsport industry.

On paper, a role such as Marko’s in taking a keen interest in the wellbeing of junior drivers could align with Vettel’s desire for a challenge, and he didn’t rule out the idea when he appeared on the Beyond the Grid podcast.

“Well, I probably would say I’m not the typical desk guy. Not yet!” he said.

“I would say it very much depends on the role. Now, this is the sport that I know. This is the business that I know, and I think I’m really fascinated, and have always been – and got more fascinated towards the end – of the human element, the psychology behind how a team works, what you need to succeed, how to look after each other.

“Now, I know that obviously inside out from a driver’s point of view, but I think very much, you can transfer to teams in general, and then also to life. And I find that just very interesting and fascinating.

“So it depends, really, on the challenge that might arise, or the opportunity. I’m not going from team to team, or actually doing anything to say, ‘Look, do you have something for me? And this is what I could imagine.’

“I think time will tell if the right thing sort of happens to come up. I’m not ruling it out at all. It could be very interesting. But in that regard, I’m not in a rush.”

More on Helmut Marko and Red Bull

👉 F1 quiz: Can you name every Red Bull junior to join F1 under Marko?

👉 Laurent Mekies pays tribute to ‘driving force’ Helmut Marko as Red Bull exit confirmed

Helmut Marko: Other interests will take my focus

As for Marko, the Austrian has denied that he was forced out of his role at Red Bull, explaining to GPBlog that the ball was very much in his court when he informed Mintzlaff of his choice.

“It was after the race [in Abu Dhabi],” Marko said of his decision.

“If we had become champions, I would have thought it was a good time to take a step back. But now it’s exactly the opposite. We lost the championship. It’s always a good time to stop. So one thing led to another. This was my decision.”

Away from motorsport, Marko has other business investments, such as owning a hotel in Graz in Austria. Such personal challenges will now be his sole focus, with Marko ruling out any chance of a return to the F1 paddock in another role.

“I have other interests,” he said.

“I have other businesses. Maybe I’ll come to one or two Grands Prix, but that’s it.

“You’ll never see me running around with a microphone making interviews.”

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