“Soft Launching a new Team Principal?”: F1 world goes into a frenzy over Red Bull’s latest social activity

F1 fans rejoiced after Red Bull posted a throwback picture of Sebastian Vettel from his 2024 visit to the iconic Imola circuit. The Austrian team is having a tough time in the sport and has failed to replicate the form that it showcased during the early years of the current set of regulations.

Ironically, it was during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix last year that McLaren challenged Red Bull and showed the pace to beat them, although Verstappen held on from Norris in the main race.

Ahead of the 2024 race, Sebastian Vettel was spotted in the F1 paddock. He was gearing up to drive Ayrton Senna's McLaren to honor the Brazilian's legacy and pay tribute to him and Roland Ratzenberger on their 30th death anniversary.

Now, Red Bull has posted a throwback picture on Instagram of the former four-time F1 world champion in their hospitality area last year, writing:

"A special visitor on our last trip to Imola."

F1 fans reacted in droves to Red Bull's post on X about Sebastian Vettel, with several linking it to recent rumors of a new team principal replacing Christian Horner.

"SOFT LAUNCHING A NEW TEAM PRINCIPAL???" one fan wrote.

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"Well, we might even hate RedBullying a little less if that's the real case."

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"I will cry tears of actual Joy if Sebastian comes back in F1. No matter in what capacity, I just NEED this bundle of sunshine back in F1," said a fan.

Here are some more reactions:

"I WILL BE A REDBULL FAN FROM NOW ON PLEASE," wrote another.

"Don’t get me excited," claimed another.

"Seb as the team principal... wow that would be amazing," mentioned another.

Sebastian Vettel has previously been linked with the job of Helmut Marko after the latter retires from the sport.

Sebastian Vettel weighs in on possibility of becoming Red Bull's next 'Helmut Marko'

Former Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel stated that he knew Helmut Marko's position as Red Bull advisor 'very well' but believed that it would be difficult to replace the latter.

Speaking to Austrian outlet ORF, the German driver spoke about the possibility of taking over from the Austrian:

“I think I know the position very well from my time when I was very close to it. But to be fair, I have to admit that I haven’t been that close to him in recent years. I believe, regardless of how it turns out and who succeeds him, that we can still learn a great deal from Helmut and that the position will inevitably be filled differently and lived out differently.

“Because I don’t think it’s possible to replace him completely. Helmut is not replaceable, let’s leave it at that! Whoever it is, it would be great if the work he has put in is continued.”

Marko has given many drivers, including Vettel, Verstappen, Ricciardo and Sainz, a shot in the sport by picking them in Red Bull's junior program.

About the author

Devang is a Formula 1 and NASCAR journalist at Sportskeeda with 3500+ articles and over 5 million reads under his belt. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has a total experience of 3.5 years.

To keep up with the sport’s developments, Devang watches every single session and comes up with unique angles for the stories, from the readers’ perspective, using his expertise in the field. He strives to report accurate, ethical and relevant data by reading information from verified sources in the field, ones that are also trusted by industry experts.

Currently, his favorite drivers on the grid are Charles Leclerc and Daniel Ricciardo; he is particularly impressed by how the two drivers rarely lose their cool and approach everything with a smile on their faces. He classifies himself as a ‘Tifosi’ and is a Charles Leclerc fan.

Devang is a sports buff and when he is away from his keyboard, he watches other sports like cricket, tennis, badminton, and football, to name a few.

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam