Vettel Speaks On Prospect Of Return To F1 Driving For Mercedes In 2025

Saturday, 02 March 2024 at 16:44

In his recent interview, the four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel revealed he was in contact with Toto Wolff concerning a potential return to F1 as a Mercedes driver.

Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff needs to find a driver to replace Lewis Hamilton in 2025. As it stands, it is suggested the team principal was thinking about giving Andrea Kimi Antonelli a chance, or someone experienced like Fernando Alonso or Sebastian Vettel.

The German driver has obviously not been in the sport ever since the end of the 2022 season, but we have seen other drivers in the past come back after a break and still crush it. In a recent interview with Nzz.ch, the former F1 driver admitted he has been in contact with Toto Wolff.

"I was surprised by this change. The Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff didn't call me, but we briefly exchanged text messages. But so far it's not an issue for me, also because at 36 I still have all the time in the world. So it's not going away."

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Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan asserted that the four-time World Champion would be a great option for Mercedes, which would then have a German driver in the German car. Vettel continued:

"But my omens haven't changed. I think I've learned and understood a lot in this one year without racing, including about myself. Being on the other side has had a huge impact on me, and many questions have come up. So far, there are no active plans."

Asked whether it means he would completely rule out F1, the 36-year-old responded: "No. I also said back then that there wouldn't be a clear no in that sense, because I believe that everything is a process."

"And maybe there will come a point when I say, 'Yes, I would like to go back'. When I get it sorted mentally so that it suddenly makes sense again. At the moment, however, I'm doing very well without driving Formula 1. There's no definite no, but there's no definite yes either."

How likely will we see the four-time World Champion in Mercedes in 2025? While he doesn't say no, it's also not a clear yes, which suggests he isn't too keen on jumping into F1. Consequently, the probabilities are lower than Alonso or Antonelli, for example.