Sir Lewis Hamilton states his wish to see Sebastian Vettel make a comeback to Formula 1 and believes he would be an excellent choice for Mercedes.
With Hamilton joining Ferrari in 2025, Mercedes are on the hunt for a driver who can fill the seven-time world champion’s shoes.
17-year-old rising star Andrea Kimi Antonelli and veteran Fernando Alonso are the favourites, while Max Verstappen has also been linked should he leave Red Bull over the Christian Horner scandal.
Vettel has also been touted as an outsider for the seat having previously hinted that he could come out of retirement, and ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix the four-time champion once again fuelled talk of a comeback.
‘Obviously [coming out of retirement] does cross my mind. I do think about it but it’s not the main thought,’ the German said
‘I’m speaking to Toto [Wolff, Mercedes boss]. I don’t know if it qualifies as Mercedes, but about other things, ideas that I have, events I’m planning going forward.’
One of the most successful F1 drivers of all time, Vettel raced for Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin before hanging up his helmet in 2022, but Hamilton is hopeful his former rival returns to the grid.
‘I would love for Seb to come back. He would be an amazing option for the team,’ the British sporting legend said on Thursday in Suzuka.
‘A German driver, a multi-world championship-winning driver and someone who has got amazing values and continues to take this team forward. I’d love it if he came back.
‘I think the only thing I really care about is that the team takes on someone with integrity and values that are aligned with the team and where the team is going. Someone with compassion to work with all these great people and continue to lift them up.
‘There are so many great people in this team and as drivers there are some that are more selfish than others, there are some that are good drivers but perhaps not the best within team environments. I don’t know because I’ve not been in with all of them, but I hope they find someone great.
‘They’ve already got George [Russell] and he’s perfect for the team so finding a good match alongside him. They’ve got so many options.’
As for Russell himself, he said he would relish the chance to go head-to-head with Vettel in equal machinery, though maintains he’d happily take on anyone as a teammate.
‘Sebastian’s a great person and he’s a four-time world champion and for sure his personality is missed on the grid and I think it’s important that we have the best 20 drivers in the world all competing for race wins and championships,’ the 26-year-old said.
‘So, as I said before, I’m really happy and open to having anybody as my team-mate, you know, whether it’s world champion, whether it’s a rookie, it doesn’t change how I go about my business. And yeah, as I said, we’ll welcome anybody.’
Following a bad beginning to 2024, Hamilton, Russell, and Mercedes are looking forward to improvement in Japan. Currently, the British duo holds 10th and 7th places in the drivers’ standings, respectively.
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