F1 Gossip: Vettel should return to Red Bull - Ecclestone
- In an interview with Sport1.de, former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said he thinks Sebastian Vettel should return to Red Bull to show people how fast he still is.
“When he feels like it,” Ecclestone said when asked about when Vettel should retire. “He shouldn’t be told he’s got to retire. We don’t know how quick he is anymore because he’s not in a competitive car – so it’s not easy to say he’s not as quick as he used to be.
“He needs to be back in Red Bull, actually.”
- Animal rights organisation PETA has claimed it has sent a prop of a dead dog to F1 boss Stefano Domenicali due to Liberty Media’s links with Iditarod.
A statement from PETA, wrote: "What do ExxonMobil, Jack Daniel’s, and Coca-Cola all have in common? After learning about the cruelty of the Iditarod and hearing from supporters of PETA entities, they pulled their sponsorship and cut all ties with the deadly dog race.
"Yet Formula One’s (F1) sister company GCI (also owned by parent company Liberty Media) still sponsors the deadly race to the tune of more than £180,000 a year. That’s why we organised this special delivery for F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
"Don’t worry, it’s a prop. But the Alaskan race kills real dogs."
- Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko thinks that Lando Norris is the closest driver to Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton after Charles Leclerc was "debunked by Sainz." (AMuS)
- Ecclestone also believes FIA race director Michael Masi was "overwhelmed" in the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
He told BILD: "He was in many cases overwhelmed with his job the whole season and maybe shouldn't have had it at all. But it was the right decision to let them race."
- Sergio Perez has admitted that his F1 career would have likely ended had Red Bull not offered him a drive for 2021.
Speaking on Tag Heuer's 'The Edge' podcast and asked of his podium in Mexico last year, Perez explained: “That was a very nice moment for myself and for my career because I had all of the people that had been with me since day one. And you cannot forget the fact that in November 2020, I didn’t have a drive.
"I would probably have ended my career in Formula 1 if Red Bull didn’t give me the opportunity. Just to have all my fans, my crowd, my family, all of the people that had been with me since day one, Carlos Slim, the main supporter of my career since day one, gave me the trophy so it was very unique and a very special moment for both of us.
“It was great but it is not enough. I want to win my home grand prix one day.”
