Sebastian Vettel has admitted that talks about him taking a role within Red Bull “never gained any traction,” though the four-time world champion said he remains open to returning to the sport if the “right opportunity” appears.
Since retiring from F1 at the end of 2022 — after four world championships, 53 wins and 299 Grands Prix — the 38-year-old has focused on raising awareness for causes, especially environmental issues. While promoting the F1REST project at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Vettel spoke to Sky Sports F1 at Interlagos and commented on the sudden July exit of Red Bull’s former team principal Christian Horner.
“Surprised,” Vettel said of Horner’s departure. “Christian has been there for so long, since the very beginning, and knows this team inside out. I think for this year everything was in place.” He added that Laurent Mekies, Horner’s successor, is someone he has worked with and respects, but that Horner “left some big footsteps” given his central role and the team’s success.
Vettel admitted he was not fully familiar with Red Bull’s organisation, structure or future plans and suggested it was sensible to “wait and see how it turns out.”
Asked whether he could be part of that future, Vettel — who had been linked to succeeding Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko — said he did speak with Marko “a little bit,” but that those discussions “never got anywhere, never gained any traction.”
While enjoying life after retirement, Vettel stressed he still loves Formula 1 and follows the sport closely. “I’m fairly happy where I am in life right now,” he said, but left the door open: “If the right opportunity, position, perspective, whatever, turns up or could turn up, maybe there’s a role that I could be happy to step up to. Time will tell.”