Mercedes

1 reactie

Mercedes interest in Vettel 'not lip service'

Could the Lewis Hamilton-Sebastian Vettel super-team become a reality?

Ian Parkes & Sam Hall

Wednesday 3 June 2020 18:44 Updated: 22:20

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has said that it would be wrong not to contemplate signing Sebastian Vettel to partner Lewis Hamilton for the 2021 Formula 1 season.

It's not often that a four-time champion is left searching for a drive, and Wolff has opened the door to a sensational move for the German.

"First of all, it's not lip service," Wolff told a media conference call. "We owe it to a four-time world champion not to come out and say straight away 'no'. You need to think about it."

Article continues under video

Wolff was critical of McLaren and Ferrari for announcing their driver line-ups for '21 before the '20 season had even begun, saying you never know what a driver will decide to do.

He added: "On the other side we have a fantastic line-up, and I'm very happy with both our pilots, and George, but you never know. One of them may decide he doesn't want to go racing any more and suddenly you have a vacant spot.

"This is why I don't want to come out in June and say 'no chance Sebastian is not racing for us'.

"I wouldn't do it to him as a driver to be that blunt, and on the other side I've seen black swans appearing when nobody expected - remember Nico Rosberg.

"In that respect, we are just keeping our options open, but of course, concentrating our discussion on our current drivers."

Before you go...

Mexico target unchanged event with fans

Schumacher: Time for the Williams family to step down

More F1 news

Latest F1 news

Where is Christian Horner? Australian Grand Prix goes ahead without former F1 Red Bull boss

1 hour ago

F1 2026 Regulations Explained: Every new rule, car change and key questions answered

2 hours ago

Aston Martin F1 crisis: Adrian Newey unleashes Honda fury and reveals the shocking truth

3 hours ago

Lewis Hamilton's new Ferrari F1 race engineer spotted at Australian Grand Prix

Today 12:56

Aston Martin is a 'funeral': F1 insider reveals team shocked by Honda secret

Today 11:55