Last Updated on April 6 2021, 9:08 am
Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko regrets that Sebastian Vettel did not take his advice by taking a year’s sabbatical from Formula One at the end of last season, possibly with an option to race for Red Bull in 2022 with Max Verstappen.
Vettel suffered his worst Grand Prix season in 2020 at Ferrari, having been warned before the first race that he would not be around in 2021.
His former Austrian boss repeatedly advised him to take time out and focus on the opportunities ahead in 2022, including a return to Red Bull Racing as reported by TJ13 last year. READ MORE ON THAT STORY
But Vettel opted instead to sign up with Aston Martin, a team capable of finishing better than the others in 2020 but suffering this year from the aerodynamic rule change.
“I thought he should have stepped down for a year, to sort things out and ask himself what he really wants to do again,” Marko told Motorsport-Total.
“I think there would have been a lot of opportunities for him next year, but he didn’t listen to me. Instead, he’s in Aston Martin, a team that is suffering, just like Mercedes.”
“They are two very similar cars. But the last Bahrain Grand Prix was not the boost he so desperately needed to get his career back on track.”
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