Former BMW F1 boss recalls the lost opportunity to block Sebastian Vettel from racing for Red Bull
Former BMW team boss cites the reason for allowing Sebastian Vettel to sign with Toro Rosso in 2007.
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Mario Theissen and Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel is considered one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. The German driver won four consecutive F1 world titles with Red Bull between 2010-2013. Vettel is the second most successful German driver in the sport’s history after Michael Schumacher. However, there was a time when the 35-year-old could’ve had an alternate career without racing for the Milton Keynes outfit.
Former BMW Sauber team boss Mario Theissen looks back at the time when Vettel was yet to get a full-time race seat. During this period, the German driver was under the wings of both BMW and Red Bull. Mario said, “Red Bull was I have to say, they looked after Sebastian even in his karting years. We were happy to join and educate him on BMW and Red Bull side.”
Mario mentions that the German automaker had the option to sign Sebastian Vettel for 2007, but the team opted not to take things further. He said, “Of course, we could have offered him a race seat as well. But that was not the right move in my way, because, in 2007, we were close to becoming a winning team.
The 70-year-old believed that signing the young German driver would’ve been a gamble in 2007. As BMW already had a strong pairing with Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica. Subsequently, Mario’s team decided to let Red Bull give Vettel a chance with Toro Rosso.
He explained, “Sebastian was a 19-year-old kid, and it was too risky, in my view to put him in the car instead of one of the two experienced drivers. So it was only natural not to block him.” Theissen revealed that there was no formal agreement between the German automaker and Red Bull over Sebastian Vettel.
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“Unbelievable,” Mario Theissen lauds the 16-year-old Sebastian Vettel
The former BMW boss revealed that he first met Vettel in the F1 paddock when the German driver was only 14 years old. Theissen was astonished to see such a dedicated young driver, as Vettel kept track of every detail at the age of just 16. Mario stated, “He took a record of every test he did at the age of 16. Unbelievable.”
The 70-year-old appreciated Vettel’s focus and mentioned that BMW had an agreement with Red Bull. He revealed that Helmut Marko had always supported the German driver. He concluded by saying, “He was really professional and determined. But we had an agreement with Red Bull. Both BMW and Red Bull sponsored Sebastian and helped him through his career. And so when the opportunity arose with our team, he became our test driver.”
Thus, Sebastian Vettel could’ve almost missed out on a chance to be a part of the Red Bull F1 family. The four-time world champion might have been signed by BMW Sauber instead. Things would’ve gone in a rather different route if Vettel had joined the German team. Perhaps he could’ve brought success to BMW and convinced the automaker to stay in F1.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2310 Articles Published)