Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko says he advised Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel to take a sabbatical year away from F1 and consider a return in 2022.
In May earlier this year, Ferrari announced that it would part with Vettel at the end of the current season, a decision that many believed would encourage the four-time world champion to conclude his career in F1.
Vettel - who won 39 races and every single one of his world titles with Red Bull Racing - remained close to Marko after leaving the Milton Keynes outfit in 2014, and consulted with the Austrian last spring in the wake of his dismissal by Ferrari.
©Ferrari
With opportunities to join either Mercedes or Red Bull seemingly non-existent, Marko told Vettel to sit on the sidelines for a year.
"I advised him to take a break for a year", Marko told German broadcaster Sport1.
"He could recharge himself in the meantime and then return with a new impetus and focus on the opportunities that 2022 would offer.
"I think that a few seats could become available for 2022."
But Vettel ultimately decided to remain in F1 and embark on a new challenge with Aston Martin Racing from next season.
While Marko believes the Silverstone-based outfit can fight for podiums in 2021, the 77-year-old insists race wins will be hard to come by.
"He wanted to stay in the picture and thinks he has a good chance of finishing on the podium with Aston Martin. In my view, that is quite realistic," said the Red Bull motorsport boss.
"But whether he can also win? I doubt that based on the car. I hope this new direction will work well for him."
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