Ex-F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone believes Sebastian Vettel should return to his old team Red Bull. The 91-year-old Briton feels the four-time German world champion needs to be back in a competitive car and the Milton Keynes-based outfit is the best option.
Speaking to German publication Sport1, Ecclestone said:
“We don’t know how quick he is any more because he’s not in a competitive car – so it’s not easy to say he’s not as quick as he used to be. He needs to be back in Red Bull, actually.”
According to Ecclestone, it is hard to judge the former Red Bull F1 champion’s competitiveness because he lacks the complete car package. The former F1 chief has also admitted in the past that Vettel was best suited to the Milton Keynes atmosphere. The German F1 champion has always maintained cordial relations with his old team, where he claimed his glory, and is often seen chatting with Christian Horner and Dr. Helmut Marko in the paddock.
Although it was only the German driver’s maiden season with Aston Martin, he did outperform his team-mate Lance Stroll. If it weren’t for Vettel’s disqualification for a technical infringement in Hungary, he would have clinched second place in the race and ended the season on a higher note.
Sebastian Vettel felt strange after controversial season finale
Reviewing the fiasco of the final lap of the Abu Dhabi race, the Aston Martin driver revealed he had suggested allowing cars to un-lap themselves much earlier. The four-time world champion felt there could have been more laps of racing under the green lights in the season finale.
Vettel reflected upon the controversial end to the season finale in conversation with the Swiss publication Blick and said:
“The whole thing left quite a strange impression. The field behind the Safety Car should have been sorted much earlier. I made the suggestion on the radio after the first lap. I had only seen that on the last lap the Dutch fans jumped up. Then I knew: Max is in front. And Lewis had no chance with his tyres.”
With the new F1 season less than two months away, the German driver is predicted to be more competitive than before in the newer cars. If Aston Martin builds a competitive package, Vettel could be seen on the top step of the podium again.