Red Bull Racing, one of the most successful and influential teams in Formula One history, has reportedly reached a clear conclusion regarding a much-speculated prospect: the possible re-entry of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel into the organisation. This decision comes in the wake of a significant transition for the team, catalysed by the confirmed departure of long-serving advisor Helmut Marko at the end of the current season.
Helmut Marko has been a towering figure within Red Bull since the early 2000s, joining when the company first entered Formula One and helping to build what would become a championship-winning outfit. With responsibility for scouting raw talent, guiding the Red Bull Junior Team, and advising on critical driver and sporting decisions, Marko’s influence extended across two decades of Red Bull’s rise from midfield contender to perennial world championship frontrunner. He played a central part in identifying and nurturing drivers such as Max Verstappen and Vettel himself — both of whom went on to achieve immense success with the team.
After the dramatic conclusion to the 2025 season, which saw Red Bull miss out narrowly on another drivers’ world title with Verstappen, the team announced that Marko would step aside from his advisory role. At 82 years old and having spent more than twenty years shaping the team’s strategic direction, Marko explained in an emotional statement that the disappointment of such a close championship fight had prompted him to conclude that “now is the right moment” to bring his remarkable career to an end. His exit marks the close of one of the most influential eras in the sport and leaves a deeply felt gap in Red Bull’s organisational structure.
Immediately after that announcement, attention in the Formula 1 paddock shifted to the question of Marko’s succession. Naturally, the name of Sebastian Vettel — a driver who not only spent the most impactful years of his career with Red Bull but also established a strong personal bond with the team and Marko himself — re-emerged among fans, pundits, and insiders as a leading candidate to fill that void. Vettel, who retired from competitive driving at the end of the 2022 season after illustrious stints with Ferrari and Aston Martin following his Red Bull tenure, still evokes strong affection from Red Bull supporters and many within the team’s extended community.
Vettel’s sporting legacy with Red Bull is exceptional: he secured four consecutive Drivers’ Championship titles between 2010 and 2013, but his career over the following years took him to new challenges beyond Formula One. Since stepping away from racing, he has focused on personal projects, including environmental advocacy, family life, and sporadic appearances at Grand Prix events — reminding the motorsport world that while he no longer competes, his passion for racing and his connection to F1 remain intact.
Before Marko’s formal announcement of his departure, the pair had reportedly engaged in informal exchanges about the possibility of Vettel’s return to Red Bull. These conversations, though not formalised into an agreement, fuelled speculation about what role the German might take — potentially as Marko’s successor in an administrative or leadership capacity. The idea excited many within the sport, as it evoked the notion of reigniting the partnership between the team and one of its greatest champions in a new chapter of Red Bull’s history.
However, according to a recent report from the German publication BILD — referenced in the original SportsMan article — Red Bull has now internally concluded that they will not fill Marko’s advisory position at this time. The organisation has decided to leave the role vacant rather than immediately appoint a successor, a choice that reflects a broader strategic realignment within the team. This move suggests Red Bull’s leadership believes the team’s operational structure may not require a direct replacement for Marko’s specific duties, or that they prefer to reassess how best to organise leadership and advisory functions going forward rather than install a new individual into one of the most storied and powerful seats in their hierarchy.
This decision effectively dampens immediate hopes of Vettel returning to Red Bull in the capacity many had envisaged. While he remains a respected figure with longstanding ties to the team, the absence of an opening for the role he was most associated with as a potential successor means there is no firm job offer on the table right now. Sources suggest that Red Bull are in no rush to recreate the exact position Marko held and may instead pursue a different organisational approach or simply distribute his responsibilities across existing leadership.
Importantly, the report also observed that even if the advisory post remains unfilled, Vettel himself has not ruled out the notion of contributing to Red Bull or Formula One in some capacity. Far from closing the door entirely on involvement in the sport, Vettel has publicly acknowledged his continued love for Formula One and his ongoing interest in high-level discussions about potential roles, provided they align with his personal values and professional preferences. He has emphasised that earlier talks with Marko, while encouraging, never progressed into anything concrete, and that he is content with his current life and projects outside of F1 — though he retains affection for the team and the sport.
Even Red Bull’s current star driver, Max Verstappen, has previously voiced public support for a return by Vettel in a leadership or advisory role, saying that there “would always be a space” for the four-time champion at the team that helped launch both of their careers. Verstappen’s remarks highlighted the mutual respect and strong bond between them, underscoring that a Vettel-Red Bull partnership in a non-driving role would be welcomed by at least some members within the organisation.
Nevertheless, as things stand today, the internal decision by Red Bull suggests that, for the moment, Vettel’s potential return — at least in an official capacity as Marko’s successor — will not take place. Whether he might still be considered for future roles, or if Red Bull might later revisit its organisational needs once the structure adjusts post-Marko, remains an open question. For now, Vettel’s future with the sport appears to lie outside of the Red Bull Racing management suite, even if he still commands respect and affection from many inside the team and the wider Formula 1 community.
