Formula 1: 5 possible landing spots for Sebastian Vettel in 2021
By Asher Fair
Sebastian Vettel possible landing spots: Red Bull Racing
A logical option for Sebastian Vettel could be a return to the team with which he won 38 races, including 34 during four consecutive championships seasons: Red Bull Racing.
Red Bull Racing have a clear number one driver in Max Verstappen, who they inked to a long-term deal through the 2023 season over the offseason, and they have several very capable number two drivers currently in the organization at the flagship team and at sister team AlphaTauri.
But they haven’t been shy about making changes within the organization when things haven’t gone well with their second driver. Just 12 races into the 2019 season, they replaced Pierre Gasly with Alexander Albon. Albon performed well, but he will likely need to improve to retain his seat beyond 2020.
We have already seen how Daniil Kvyat has performed at Red Bull Racing in years past, and we have already seen the team pass up on him for another number two driver alongside Verstappen, and multiple times.
Could all of this lead to a reunion for the 32-year-old German and the Milton Keynes-based team?
Last summer, Vettel was driving on the same contract with Ferrari that is set to expire at the end of the 2020 season, and Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner heated up rumors about him returning to the team in 2021.
Here is what he had to say about the matter at the time, according to Express.
"“We have great memories of Sebastian’s time with us. He is part of our history. He won four titles and many, many races together with us, including Red Bull’s first win in Formula 1. We have a special relationship with Sebastian. Although he is now with Ferrari, he still comes to see the mechanics very often, he knows most of the faces here and is still a friend of the team. He was very happy for us [when we won] at the Red Bull Ring.”"
As far as his availability for 2021 goes, nothing has changed. The thing is, after 2020, he will no longer be with Ferrari, and that has now been confirmed. So will he still “come to see” the team in 2021, perhaps as one of their two drivers?
While it can’t be ruled out, it is unlikely. Here is what Horner recently had to say about the matter, according to RACER.
"“I think it’s enormously unlikely. We have a long-term agreement with Max. Alex is doing a good job. We’ve got a good dynamic within the team. Experience shows that two alpha males, it doesn’t tend to pan out well. Sebastian is still a very competitive grand prix driver. I don’t think it would be conducive for our team to have two alphas. We’re happy with the driver line-up we have.”"