Red Bull are "open" to the prospect of Sebastian Vettel re-joining his old team.
That's according to team adviser Helmut Marko, who has been speaking about the German's future after his final Formula 1 race. Vettel said farewell to the sport in Abu Dhabi last weekend, retiring from his career as a racer to spend more time with family and pursue other passions.
Red Bull have already brought back one of their formers stars this week. Daniel Ricciardo has signed back with his old team after being left without a race seat for 2023, and will act as Red Bull's third driver for next season while also lending a hand with some promotional work.
It is hoped that role will be a temporary one, with the Aussie still keen on continuing his F1 career. Vettel is done with racing in the sport, but Marko believes there is a chance he could return to his old team in the future in a management role.
"We have two teams, so we are open to that," said the Austrian when responding to a question on that very topic. Marko added with a chuckle: "His life will definitely be different from the one had had as a driver. He'd come to work earlier, leave later and receive only a small part of a pilot's salary."
Vettel has not ruled out a future role in F1, and has been careful not to commit to anything. The one thing he has been clear about is that his days taking part in a full season calendar are over – but he did say he would "seriously consider" getting back into an F1 cockpit for one specific reason.
"Maybe one of [the F1 drivers] in the future will feel sick – I don't wish for them to feel so – but I wouldn't mind jumping back in for a race at Suzuka at any time," he said in October. The Japanese Grand Prix circuit is his favourite, he admitted.
"We'll see what the future brings – at the moment I have no plans. If anybody is happy to sign up a driver for a single race, it's something I'd seriously consider! I don't know, never say never. I mean, it's a great track for many reasons. Who knows what the future brings? I don't know.
"Obviously I love driving and I think around this track I always felt alive and the passion... feels alive, so we'll see what kind of car in the future will come up. From the very first year, [Suzuka] has been a special place. For me, just the layout of corners, the first sector – it's iconic, it's a figure-of-eight track, the only one we have."
