A Harvard degree and an open ear from Helmut Marko are probably not enough: Why Sebastian Vettel does not fit into Red Bull management, according to Ralf Schumacher
Ralf Schumacher can’t really imagine Sebastian Vettel being seriously considered for a management role at Red Bull. After motorsport legend Hans-Joachim Stuck recently speculated that Vettel would “never be considered” for such a position and would not be doing himself any favors, Schumacher has now also expressed his opinion that he does not consider such a scenario realistic.
“I don’t know how he could fit in there,” said the Sky expert in an interview on the YouTube channel of Formel1.de. So far, he said, he had “only heard Vettel say that he would like to do that at Red Bull. But I haven’t heard anything from Red Bull yet to suggest that anyone there would think that’s a good idea.”
Strictly speaking, this statement is not entirely correct. After all, it was Helmut Marko, motorsport consultant at Red Bull GmbH, who ultimately started the rumors with his statement that Vettel would be “the ideal successor” for himself. That was in an interview with Sky in April 2025.
Vettel then responded in another interview with Sky with kind words for Marko, with whom he has been friends for many years. At the time, he said: “I believe there is only one Helmut, and Helmut’s role is his.” Whether Marko’s job is “something for him in the future remains to be seen.”
What does all this have to do with a Harvard degree?
The rumors gained further momentum when Vettel obtained a Harvard diploma in June, presumably to prepare himself for future management positions. At around the same time, an ORF article appeared in which he said he was “in contact with Marko, also on this subject.”
Marko’s contract as an advisor runs until the end of 2026. It is the first agreement between him and Red Bull that has been put in writing. Until the death of Dietrich Mateschitz in October 2022, Marko always worked on a handshake basis.
However, he had recently hinted several times that he would not be doing the job forever. This was also confirmed in an interview on the Formel1.de YouTube channel published on March 28, 2025. When asked, Marko explicitly stated that it could be “a good reason” to give up his advisory role at Red Bull should Max Verstappen leave the team one day.
What Schumacher says against Vettel
However, Ralf Schumacher does not believe that Marko’s successor will really be Vettel: “Sebastian’s life has changed completely,” he said, explaining his assumption. “Even when he was still racing, he was very committed to sustainability and everything to do with the environment. Which is a good thing.”
Because Vettel attaches great importance to his ecological footprint, Schumacher finds it “difficult to imagine how he wants to attend 24 races in an electric car. From that point of view, I don’t think it’s really the right thing for him to do. And I think it’s also difficult for the company, given the way he has expressed himself in Formula 1 in recent years, when things became so extreme.”
Vettel himself has been heavily involved in climate and environmental protection for years. In 2021, he said of his commitment in an interview with the news magazine Der Spiegel: “Of course, I had to ask myself whether I was being hypocritical. On the one hand, my work harms the environment, and on the other, I promote things to protect the environment. So I started by changing my habits, such as flying so much, and then I talked about it.”
Vettel has not yet commented publicly on whether his green commitment in his private life would conflict with his operational activities in Formula 1, which almost inevitably requires frequent flying to 24 events around the world.
In any case, Vettel will not be team boss for the time being. Red Bull announced on Wednesday that Christian Horner will no longer be performing this role in the future. However, Laurent Mekies, who previously managed the sporting fortunes of the Racing Bulls, has already been appointed as Horner’s successor.
