F1 | Red Bull, Marko: “When we decided to change, Vettel was no longer free”

Red Bull would most likely have welcomed Sebastian Vettel back into its ranks. Helmut Marko, the influential manager of the Austrian team, made this clear enough, explaining how the timing prevented Sebastian's return to Milton Keynes.

Marko, speaking to f1-insider.com, revealed that he advised Vettel to keep himself free in 2021."Because I told him that in 2022 he would have many more opportunities, perhaps even Mercedes, or a place right here with us, I would have liked him not to act rashly, I would have been pleased if he had been on the market at the right time."

So why didn't Red Bull think of Vettel for after Albon? Dr. explains it himself. Marko:

“When Ferrari dumped Vettel there was no space here because we thought Albon would grow up and stay with us. I told Sebastian, I advised him to wait a year, to have better opportunities in the 2022 driver market. Unfortunately we were wrong, our choice fell on Perez because we needed a strong driver useful to fight for the world championship and when we decided to act, Vettel was no longer available because he had already made a long-term commitment to Aston Martin." declared the Austrian manager.

Marko also states that he understands the reasons that pushed Sebastian to accept the offer from the former Racing Point, although in his opinion the German should have waited:

“I can understand Vettel's choice. Aston Martin is an attractive name and the close collaboration with Mercedes promises well in terms of competitiveness. He did well, although as I told him I would wait for the opportunities in 2022."