Sebastian Vettel responds to Mercedes F1 COMEBACK hint as he reveals Toto Wolff talks

Toto Wolff and Sebastian Vettel share a joke together — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 news & Gossip

Vettel responds to Mercedes COMEBACK hint as he reveals Wolff discussions

Four-time world champion left the sport in 2022 after a 16-year career

Lauren Sneath

Sunday 3 March 2024 19:58

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Sebastian Vettel has admitted that he and Toto Wolff ‘exchanged text messages’ after the news broke about Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari, with the German driver refusing to rule out a return to the sport.

Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, is looking to fill the gap left by the seven-time world champion as Hamilton heads to Ferrari next season.

The Austrian has suggested that Sebastian Vettel could be an option to replace Hamilton for the 2025 season, hinting that he ‘still has the speed’ for the sport.

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Vettel retired in 2022, leaving Aston Martin after two seasons. He previously drove for Ferrari.

Now, Vettel has admitted that he and Wolff have discussed Hamilton’s move. While he insisted there were no ‘active plans’, the four-time world champion also confessed that he ‘would like to go back’ to the sport.

Vettel told the Neue Zurcher Zeitung newspaper that he, like the rest of the world, was ‘surprised’ by Hamilton's departure and that he feels he has ‘all the time in the world’ for racing at his age.

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The 36-year-old said: “Toto Wolff didn't call me, but we briefly exchanged text messages.

But so far it is not an issue for me, also because I still have all the time in the world at 36. So that doesn't run away.”

The former Ferrari driver was quick to note that he has ‘learned and understood a lot’ after leaving racing, and that being on the other side has had an impact on him.

He added: “So far, there are no active plans.”

Vettel won’t rule out return

However, asked if he was firmly against returning to racing, Vettel said: “No.”

He added: “I believe that everything is a process. And maybe at some point there will be the point where I say: ‘Yes, I would like to go back.’ When I get it so sorted in such a way that it suddenly makes sense again.

“At the moment, however, I am doing very well without driving Formula 1. There is no firm no, but also no firm yes.”

Sebastian Vettel previously drove for Ferrari

Perhaps most telling of all, though, was Vettel’s next stop after speaking on the issue.

Asked what he was doing later that day, he said: “I’m going to the medical check-up now. It is mandatory if you want to keep your racing license.”

Wolff backs champion to replace Hamilton

Ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Wolff called Vettel a ‘giant of this sport’ and suggested that he would be weighing up whether to rely on experience or take a gamble on youth when he fills the seat.

He told Sky Deutschland: “Sebastian is a great guy and a giant of this sport.

“I think he still has the speed as well. After three or four races we have to decide whether we go for youth or experience. Or do we optimise in the short term and give the youth more time to gain experience.”