Red Bull relationship still good - Vettel

Jun.11 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he maintains a good relationship with Red Bull and the energy drink company's mogul Dietrich Mateschitz.

Although now a Ferrari driver, German Vettel was groomed from boyhood by Red Bull's junior programme, going on to win four world championships in the familiar dark blue.

So as F1 moves on to the Red Bull-organised Austrian grand prix next weekend, Vettel admitted he is looking forward to the race at the Red Bull Ring.

"Even though I am no longer part of Red Bull, I do still feel connected in some way," he told APA news agency.

Vettel, now 27, says he still has a "very, very good relationship" with Mateschitz, even though he split professionally with the Austrian billionaire after 2014.

"It's not as though we had a dispute. On the contrary," said the German, who said he would be happy to catch up with Mateschitz next weekend.

As for the Austrian grand prix, Vettel said he knows "how much effort" is put into organising it, and retains relationships with other Red Bull officials.

"That's why for me it is a more intimate race than perhaps somewhere else, even though Monza is now more of a home race," he added.