- The people at Mercedes F1 continues to tease about the likely move of Sebastian Vettel to the team.
- The four-time champion is expected to replace his rival, Lewis Hamilton, who will be switching to Ferrari in 2025.
- Mercedes has no official announcements regarding the matter yet as of this writing.
Drama Builds Up within Mercedes F1
Formula 1 has been all about Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the past couple of years. Well, who could blame him? He had the skills to finally break the dominance of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1, and he never settled for any less since then.
However, one of the real drama happening in the sport right now is the countdown leading to 2025 when Hamilton will finally start racing for Ferrari. Amid this development is a question as to who will replace him in Mercedes?
While it does make a lot of sense to assume that Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, Jr. may serve as a straight-up swap to Hamilton, there is little to no indication that the negotiations between the three-pointed star marque and the outgoing driver from the prancing horse team is making any progress. So one of the big names being thrown around is the four-time F1 Drivers Champion Sebastian Vettel who has been on a hiatus from the organization since the conclusion of the 2022 season.
Sebastian Vettel in Mercedes F1
The recent revelation of Vettel about his ongoing talks with several teams for a potential return in F1 has put sporting fans in the edge of their seats as of late. Among the groups he mentioned was Mercedes, which immediately drew speculations that he may finally serve as the partner of George Russell in 2025. Rumors were further fueled by the positive sentiment of Mercedes about such a prospect.
Mercedes principal Toto Wolff previously welcomed the idea of the former champion driving for their team. He even remarked that he would “never discount” its possibility.
Meanwhile, Vettel also got the nod from his rival, Hamilton, when it comes to a Mercedes seat. The outgoing driver said he “would love for Seb to comeback” and it would be an “amazing option for the team.”
Russell was receptive of such a move, too. He praised Vettel for being a “great person” and for making it as four-time champion. He added that the driver’s personality was missed during his absence and his return would surely make things more exciting next season.
No Official Confirmations Yet
So far, nothing has been confirmed as official concerning Hamilton’s replacement. Some industry experts are heavily betting on Vettel though, and that includes us.
On the other hand, some reports claimed Vettel was not even on Mercedes’ shortlist. They said Sainz was actually the top person on the team’s sights and the other stories were nothing but a way to get the attention of the fans elsewhere. But then again, they revealed that if the Ferrari driver fails to abide by Mercedes’ ultimatum, then other candidates may finally be considered.
