Helmut Marko sees one clear reason why Red Bull will not replace him with Sebastian Vettel

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Helmut Marko is leaving Red Bull after 20 years as their motorsport adviser, which has seen a raft of F1 fans dream about possibly seeing Sebastian Vettel return to the team.

Marko decided following the conclusion of the 2025 F1 season that now is the right time for him to leave Red Bull. The 82-year-old had overseen Red Bull’s driver academy ever since its creation in 2001, and was the parent company’s F1 adviser since the team debuted in 2005.

The Red Bull Junior Team proved to be a prolific production line for F1 drivers under Marko’s leadership, with Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz among the many stars to emerge from it. Vettel and Verstappen both won four F1 titles with Red Bull, as well.

Vettel won Red Bull’s maiden F1 drivers’ championship in 2010 and went on to dominate for the Milton Keynes crew with further titles in 2011, ‘12 and ‘13. Verstappen also won four in a row after taking titles in 2021, ‘22, ‘23 and ’24, before losing out by only two points in ‘25.

Helmut Marko thinks Sebastian Vettel lacks ‘enough support’ to return to Red Bull

When the news broke on Tuesday that Marko is leaving Red Bull after 20 years, a host of F1 fans started to dream about Vettel now returning to replace the Austrian in Milton Keynes. But Vettel is not expected to replace Marko at Red Bull as they do not feel he needs an heir.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about former Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko

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Red Bull GmbH managing director Oliver Mintzlaff is expected to hold a bigger day-to-day role in the running of Red Bull Racing alongside CEO and team principal Laurent Mekies. And Marko feels Vettel also lacks “enough supporters” at Red Bull to secure a return to the team.

Marko told OE24: “I rather doubt it. He doesn’t have enough supporters. Especially with his, let’s say, anti-mobility stance. He would have a hard time.”

Sebastian Vettel previously spoke to Red Bull before Helmut Marko decided to leave

Which Red Bull Junior Team product was Helmut Marko wrong to deny an F1 career?

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Vettel was one of the first Red Bull Junior Team products to graduate to F1 when he debuted for BMW Sauber, as a stand-in for the injured Robert Kubica in the 2007 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis. The German replaced Scott Speed at Toro Rosso later in the ‘07 season.

Toro Rosso also saw Vettel score his first points in F1 with P4 in the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix and later his first race win in the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. Vettel moved up to Red Bull in 2009 and instantly fought Jenson Button for the title, before taking his first championship in 2010.

Vettel ultimately took 38 of his 53 career Grand Prix wins with Red Bull, along with 44 of his 57 career pole positions and 65 of his 122 career podiums, before joining Ferrari in 2015. He retired from F1 at the end of 2022 after two seasons with Aston Martin, and is yet to return.

Vettel has confirmed that he previously spoke to Red Bull about a return, before Marko had chosen to leave his role. The 38-year-old was seen as a natural replacement for Marko, but the doors to the Red Bull factory in Milton Keynes are set to remain closed to him, for now.