Helmut Marko gives his nod of approval to Sebastian Vettel replacing him in the future

Just six months into retirement, speculations about Sebastian Vettel's return to F1 made waves over the last month. The four-time world champion is rumored to join his former team Red Bull albeit in a different role.

Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Dr. Helmut Marko has now hinted that Sebastian Vettel could replace him, to take on his current role at the team. Marko recently celebrated his 80th birthday but still hasn't revealed any retirement timeline. However, he will be choosing his successor for his role in the Austrian company at some point in time.

Marko reckons that "theoretically" Vettel could take on his role but added he would have to contemplate the decision first. He said in an interview with German media RTL/ntv and sport.de:

"Theoretically..... But I think Sebastian has to find himself first. He has to know what he wants in the future."

The 80-year-old then added the role of an official in a team was far less glamorous than being an F1 driver. He added that a driver had to adjust to the lesser pay while doing a similar amount of work.

Marko added:

"The role of the official in Formula 1 is 'a completely different situation'. You work more hours, earn significantly less, but you have to do just as much."

Marko's recent comments correlate to what he had said when the rumors of Sebastian Vettel's return first emerged. The 80-year-old was quoted by blick.ch saying:

"We are still in contact. Seb is still finding himself at the moment. And I don’t think he wants to travel to all the races now. Especially not for much less money!"

While naming Vettel as his possible successor, Marko added that the former Red Bull driver might not return because of his commitment to environmental causes. The German driver left the sport as he was a long-time campaigner for environmental protection.

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Sebastian Vettel does not rule out a possible F1 comeback

F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi

Six months into his retirement, Sebastian Vettel is enjoying his time off the track. The 35-year-old is not regretting his decision to step away from the sport but he recently that an F1 comeback might on the cards.

Speaking about a possible return, the German said:

"If I were already regretting it, the decision would not have been so good. At the moment I'm doing as well as it will look in six months, I don't know. That's part of the journey of discovery that I'm about to do."

While Vettel's time as a racing driver has probably ended, he could return to the premier racing series in some other capacity.