logo
Sebastian Vettel Provides Update On F1 Future Amid Red Bull Rumors

Sebastian Vettel Provides Update On F1 Future Amid Red Bull Rumors

Newsweek6 days ago
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel spoke about his future in Formula 1 after months of rumors about a potential return.
Vettel was rumored to take on a role within the energy-drink racing team as an advisor or potentially team principal following the dismissal of Christian Horner.
Since retiring after the 2022 season, the German has been out of the spotlight, working behind the scenes to create progress in causes such as women in motorsport and environmental challenges.
A couple of months ago, there were links between Vettel and a potential role at Red Bull as an advisor.
Sebastian Vettel of Germany looks on before the Race of Champions - "Champion of Champions" at Accor Stadium on March 8, 2025 in Sydney, Australia.
Sebastian Vettel of Germany looks on before the Race of Champions - "Champion of Champions" at Accor Stadium on March 8, 2025 in Sydney, Australia.
Photo byHelmut Marko, the team's current senior advisor, brought Vettel into Red Bull, and there were reports that indicate the retired driver could step into that role.
Vettel spoke with German news outlet Auto Motor und Sport and clarified what his future holds.
"Formula 1 is finished," Vettel said during the interview.
"At some point, the time will be ripe to leave the field to others. You can see that with the rookies. I think it's good that a whole bunch of them have now been replaced.
"It's not a vote against the old guys, but in favour of the young ones. In the past, I wasn't interested in which of the established riders no longer raced. The main thing was that I was allowed to drive."
Vettel didn't address a potential executive role, leaving the door open to a return as a decision maker.
While he may not race an F1 car ever again, he did express interest in the World Endurance Championship.
"I don't want to rule out that something will come of it," Vettel added.
"There have been talks, but somehow it hasn't worked out yet. In the past, I honestly wasn't that interested in endurance racing from my perspective as a lone competitor. Today I see it differently.
"I find it totally exciting, this team structure, sharing a car, making compromises. In motorsport, it's hard to say: I only drive half the races.
"The WEC would actually be a good fit with its eight races, which are also staggered differently to Formula 1. It's always a question of how intensively you want to do something. For me, it's always been the case that I want to do it properly when I get involved in something. Just going along for the ride is not for me."
With so much uncertainty around Red Bull, Vettel could end up with a significant role in the organization, but he seems focused on other projects for the time being.
More F1 news: How Lewis Hamilton Made the F1 Movie Production More Expensive
For more F1 news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Max Verstappen Issues RB21 Verdict After Red Bull Upgrades at Belgium GP
Max Verstappen Issues RB21 Verdict After Red Bull Upgrades at Belgium GP

Newsweek

time8 hours ago

  • Newsweek

Max Verstappen Issues RB21 Verdict After Red Bull Upgrades at Belgium GP

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen shockingly managed to split the two McLaren drivers during the sprint race qualifying for the Belgium Grand Prix. Verstappen couldn't match Oscar Piastri, but got one up on Lando Norris, netting a promising second-place start for the sprint race. Red Bull brought a new front wing along with sidepod and suspension tweaks to Spa as the team tries to aid the reeling RB21. Despite Verstappen's exceptional driving, the car isn't consistently delivering results at every track and proves a handful to set up correctly. Sprint 2nd qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing gives a thumbs up in parc ferme during Sprint qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps... Sprint 2nd qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing gives a thumbs up in parc ferme during Sprint qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 25, 2025 in Spa, Belgium. More Photo byThe new upgrade pack aims to enhance the car, but the Dutch driver isn't convinced that the changes are effective. "It's always difficult on a Sprint weekend to say exactly what they do, but then when you look at the gap, that's not what we want," he said. "We keep improving, keep trying to find more performance, but other teams do the same thing, so that's how it goes." While the effectiveness of the upgrades is yet to be determined, Verstappen did enjoy his time on track, although the gap between Red Bull and McLaren remains notable. "Being P2 between the McLarens is already a good result for us. I do think we maximized that," Verstappen added. "I enjoyed it out there. The lap itself was fine, it was good. Of course, the gap is very big, but it's been big already from FP1, so it's not a big surprise. "We just have to focus on ourselves and work on the balance of the car and try to go faster. "When you're almost five tenths off, I don't think going faster or slower on the straight is going to matter a lot. We just have to do our own race and see what we can do." Red Bull and Verstappen are firmly out of the race for either title this season, though there should be potential for the odd win, and he lines up in a promising position for a sprint race victory if he can get a good start. Belgium Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying Results

Volkswagen suffers $1.5 billion loss from Trump's tariffs
Volkswagen suffers $1.5 billion loss from Trump's tariffs

Yahoo

time9 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Volkswagen suffers $1.5 billion loss from Trump's tariffs

President Donald Trump's tariffs cost German auto giant Volkswagen about $1.5 billion over the first half of 2025, the company said on Friday. Sales in North America plunged 16% due primarily to U.S. tariffs, said Volkswagen, which owns a host of brands including Audi, Lamborghini and Porsche. The company warned of further 'challenges' that will arise from 'an environment of political uncertainty, expanding trade restrictions and geopolitical tensions,' among other factors. Volkswagen marks the latest in a string of major carmakers to announce billions in tariff-related losses. MORE: Trump admin live updates: White House maneuver keeps Habba as top NJ prosecutor General Motors on Tuesday said tariffs on cars and auto parts drove $1.1 billion in losses over three months ending in June. A day earlier, Jeep maker Stellantis said it expects to have suffered $2.7 billion in losses over the first half of 2025 due in part to U.S. tariffs. Electric-vehicle maker Tesla this week reported a roughly $3 billion drop in revenue over three months ending in June when compared to the same period a year earlier. In a statement on Wednesday, Tesla touted a "strong balance sheet" but acknowledged a "sustained uncertain macroeconomic environment resulting from shifting tariffs." Tariffs of 25% on vehicles imported into the United States went into effect on April 2. The auto tariffs, which apply to cars and auto parts, threaten to raise costs for carmakers that often oversee an intricate supply chain snaked between the U.S., Mexico, Canada and beyond. In a memo in March, the White House touted auto tariffs as a means of bolstering domestic car manufacturers and protecting an industry viewed as important to U.S. national security. The policy, the White House said, will "protect and strengthen the U.S. automotive sector." Volkswagen currently faces total US tariffs of 27.5%, the company said, combining the recent 25% auto tariff on top of preexisting 2.5% tariffs. The company said it expects a worst-case scenario of current tariff levels over the second half of 2025, while in a best-case scenario tariffs could be reduced to 10%. 'There is high uncertainty about further developments with regard to the tariffs, their impact and any reciprocal effects,' Volkswagen said. A trade agreement struck between the U.S. and Japan this week dropped auto tariffs from the universal level of 25% to 15%, putting foreign carmakers in other countries at a disadvantage. The U.S. and European Union are near a deal that would also bring tariffs on European goods down to 15%, the Financial Times reported this week. Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on the EU to 30% on Aug. 1, unless the two sides reach a trade agreement. MORE: What to know about Trump's Aug. 1 tariff deadline Despite rising tariff-related costs for automakers, price hikes for new cars have remained low. Car prices rose 0.6% in June compared to a year earlier, registering well below the overall inflation rate of 2.7%. In general, tariff-induced inflation has fallen short of economists' fears in part because companies stockpiled products before the tariffs took effect, allowing them to temporarily avert the higher cost of importing goods, analysts previously told ABC News. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Germany's biggest carmaker suffers £1.1bn hit from Trump tariffs
Germany's biggest carmaker suffers £1.1bn hit from Trump tariffs

Yahoo

time9 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Germany's biggest carmaker suffers £1.1bn hit from Trump tariffs

Donald Trump's tariffs have dealt a €1.3bn (£1.1bn) blow to Volkswagen after the German car giant's portfolio of luxury brands suffered a drop in sales. Marques such as Porsche and Bentley have been hit by the US president's sanctions on foreign vehicles, which impose a 27.5pc tax on cars imported from Europe. Britain has struck a deal with Mr Trump to reduce the tariff to 10pc, but the larger penalty remains in place for the European Union, which is still locked in talks with the White House. On Friday, VW said the tariffs added €1.3bn to its costs in the first half of 2025 and that it could add billions more still, because there was no guarantee of a deal between Washington and Brussels. Oliver Blume, the carmaker's chief executive, said: 'We cannot assume that the tariff situation is only temporary. 'We are counting on the European Commission and the US government to reach a balanced outcome on the tariff issue.' VW's luxury brands have been hit the hardest by the levies, results published on Friday showed. Profits in the company's 'progressive' stable of marques, which includes Audi, Lamborghini and Bentley, halved in the first six months of the year, while the 'sports luxury' segment – which mainly consists of Porsche – tumbled by more than two thirds. That was after Porsche sales fell by 11pc to around 135,000 cars. 'High uncertainty' VW warned: 'There is high uncertainty about further developments with regard to the tariffs, their impact and any reciprocal effects.' This gloomy outlook has led to the company slashing its prediction for 2025 sales. It now expects no change from last year, compared to an earlier forecast of 5pc growth. The blow from tariffs comes at a difficult time for VW, which is already carrying out a major restructuring to cope with the transition to electric cars. It is cutting tens of thousands of jobs across the group and even contemplated shutting factories in Germany as part of the shake-up. At the same time, VW and other Western carmakers are haemorrhaging market share in China, where domestically made electric vehicles and hybrid manufacturers such as BYD are becoming increasingly dominant. These Chinese rivals are also embroiled in a cut-throat price war at home. The turmoil has been particularly painful for VW, which previously relied on China for one third of its sales and a substantial portion of its profits. As recently as 2019, the German giant controlled 20pc of the country's car market, but that has since fallen to 15pc. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store