Vettel after Ferrari-exit: "Called Marko asking what he would do in my situation"

Ferrari unilaterally decided not to extend the contract of Sebastian Vettel which runs until 2020. The four-time world champion had not seen that coming and went looking for advisors. For this he called in Helmut Marko, among others, but he would also have liked to have listened to what Niki Lauda had to say.

That's what Vettel says in an interview with ORF. At the Austrian television station, the German indicates that Marko was one of the first to receive a call. "He is a bit older and has a lot of life experience. It seemed to me he could offer a good perspective on the situation."

Vettel didn't ask about Red Bull seat

Rumours were that Vettel had contacted the top man of Red Bull Racing to get a finger on the pulse for a seat for 2021. However, that was not the intention of the conversation, Vettel stressed. "I wanted to sketch my scenario and tell what I was dealing with. I asked him what he would do in this situation."

Also former Formula 1 driver, and until his death in 2019 still an advisor of Mercedes, Lauda could have counted on a phone call from 33-year-old Heppenheimer. "It would have helped if Niki had still been there. I could have just asked him for his opinion."