Sebastian Vettel Should Take A Break From Formula One, Says Red Bull Advisor | Formula 1 News

Sebastian Vettel ought to abandon hopes of racing in Formula One subsequent yr and take a break from the game, influential Red Bull advisor Helmet Marko mentioned Thursday. The 77-year-old Austrian is aware of Vettel properly and believes there are not any severe vacancies on the 2021 grid when he’s dumped by Ferrari on the finish of the season. Marko confirmed that Red Bull wouldn’t be capable to supply their former champion driver a seat subsequent season – making clear that the 33-year-old German could possibly be with no staff after Renault on Wednesday confirmed the return of Fernando Alonso for 2021.

“I would take a year off and look at it from an outside perspective,” Marko instructed specialist German journal Auto Motor und Sport.

“But then maybe he likes the life with the family so much that he leaves completely.”

Marko closed the door on a Vettel return to the staff the place he made his title by claiming the drivers’ title yearly from 2010 to 2013.

“We have no place for Vettel,” he mentioned. “We have (Alex) Albon and we are happy with him. Albon is half Thai and Red Bull is 51 per cent Thai….”

Marko might need added ‘F1 isn’t any place for outdated males’ till Renault’s transfer to recruit veteran Alonso as Vettel gave the impression to be squeezed out by youthful males in all instructions. 

Vettel’s attainable choices have been lowered not solely by Alonso’s return to Renault, the place he gained his two titles in 2005 and 2006, however by McLaren’s transfer to signal Daniel Ricciardo as successor to Ferrari-bound Carlos Sainz, the person who will exchange Vettel at Maranello.

‘Stopwatch, not age, issues’

Defending six-times champions Mercedes have mentioned they’re very pleased with their present driver pairing of champion Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, who gained final Sunday’s season-opening Austrian Grand Prix, although each are out of contract on the finish of this yr.

Vettel has mentioned he’ll take time to replicate on his future and has no rapid want to retire. “If you make the decision to close the door, you shouldn’t do it so that you can hope to open it again sometime,” he mentioned in Spielberg final weekend.

“You have to be prepared to leave the door closed.”

No sooner had he spoken, it appeared, than Alonso’s actions contradicted that principle – the Spaniard, who ‘retired’ after leaving McLaren in 2018, will probably be 40 subsequent yr.

His return prompted Renault staff chief Cyril Abiteboul on Thursday to defend the staff’s junior driver programme from criticism for not producing a contender for the seat.

“I can expect after our decision to rejoin with Fernando that this could be seen as a lack of interest, or loyalty, towards our own project of the Renault Sport Academy,” mentioned Abiteboul.

“But I want to be extremely clear that it is not. The plan of the academy was to be able to have a driver joining Formula 1 in 2021 — and who knows, this may be the case.”

Alonso’s return is prone to imply there will probably be no place at Renault subsequent yr for excellent Chinese racer Guanya Zhou, 20, who this yr was promoted to be the staff’s check driver and has been spectacular in Formula Two.

The Spaniard mentioned he has no fears that his advancing years will probably be an issue.

Promoted

“I saw Formula One for many years,” he mentioned. “And the stopwatch is the only thing that matters, not the age.

“I by no means had the classification in a race primarily based on the passport or date of delivery, however all the time by the stopwatch. So, hopefully, I’m nonetheless quick, or sooner than them!”