Vettel back to 'naughty' old self - Marko
Sebastian Vettel is back to his old self, Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko has admitted.
Recently, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner claimed that amid Vettel's struggle to keep up with the new F1 rules and teammate Daniel Ricciardo last year, the quadruple world champion contemplated quitting the sport.
Ultimately, he switched to Ferrari, where his motivation appears to have been rekindled.
Vettel, 27, has been taking Italian lessons over the winter, while in Jerez, where Ferrari set the testing pace, he was observed with an ever-present black notebook, dutifully scribbling down details as he embarks on his new challenge.
"He's in a good mood," claims Austrian Marko, Vettel's now former boss.
A change of scenery can be a miracle cure.
Christian Danner, German broadcaster
"He is again writing me naughty and funny text messages," he admitted to the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag. "He is back to the old Sebastian."
German broadcaster Christian Danner says Vettel's team change appears to have done him the world of good.
"A change of scenery can be a miracle cure," he said. "Especially when it's the most emotional of all the teams, Ferrari."
Another former F1 driver, David Coulthard, likened Vettel's Ferrari move to that of his arch F1 rival and contemporary Michael Schumacher's in 1996.
"Why shouldn't Sebastian Vettel succeed there as well?" the Scot told the German newspaper Welt.
"In my eyes, it is much more difficult to build Red Bull, with no history and no experience in Formula One, into a top team.
"And yet he managed to win four world titles with them - a huge achievement," Coulthard added.
Share Or Save This Story
The season is still very long - Rosberg
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
Daniel Ricciardo shares heartfelt message after first Indy 500 visit brought back "childhood feelings"
Lando Norris reunites with Daniel Ricciardo for Indy 500 celebrations after disastrous Canadian GP
Daniel Ricciardo says life feels "more real" after abrupt F1 exit
Why Red Bull's 'crazy' power unit success matters so much for F1
“Am I confident? Probably not” – The unprecedented challenge Singapore is throwing at F1 drivers
“Unfinished business” for Max Verstappen – Has Red Bull finally fixed its Singapore weakness?
Team Penske and Chevrolet announce multi-year extension of IndyCar partnership
Why Red Bull's 'crazy' power unit success matters so much for F1
No denying it now – the one reason why F1’s ‘horrible’ start in Malaysia could be a good thing
The greatest F1 campaigns with no wins
Three kings: F1's generational stars shone at Sepang
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments