Mercedes open to stunning Lewis Hamilton swoop

Lewis Hamilton's former team Mercedes would reportedly be willing to take him back, just a year after the seven-time world champion ditched them for Ferrari.

Hamilton took the decision to end a decade-long partnership early last year, playing out the 2024 season with the Silver Arrows before officially moving at the start of this year.

As the sport heads on its annual summer shutdown in 2025 however, Hamilton's maiden championship in red has failed to live up to its expectations, with the 40-year-old failing to step on a podium in a single grand prix this year.

The ex-Mercedes star appeared at his lowest last weekend in Budapest, declaring that he was 'useless' and even calling for Ferrari to, 'change their driver.'

Now, a report from The Telegraph following the Hungarian Grand Prix has stated: "Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was seen exiting the Ferrari motorhome on Sunday. Earlier in the week, Frederic Vasseur, Wolff’s opposite number at Ferrari, visited Mercedes alongside the Italian company’s chairman John Elkann."

Naturally, the above visits and their timing following Hamilton's dejected statements sent F1 fans into a frenzy over rumours of retirement and driver swaps.

However, the report went on to read: "In the unlikely scenario that Hamilton suddenly returns to the driver market for next season, it is a certainty that every team on the grid would take a good look at the seven-time world champion before deciding their options."

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Could Hamilton ever return to Mercedes?

The concept of Hamilton crawling back to the very team he left to try and achieve championship success once again is hardly enticing.

It would ultimately mean admitting he made a huge career mistake by ever leaving the Silver Arrows, but since Hamilton's season with the Scuderia has gone from bad to worse, Wolff is the one who has consistently praised his abilities and warned the sport to not discount him from next season's fight.

Wolff's comments have also been mirrored by Hamilton's current boss Vasseur, but questions have continued to be raised over whether the British legend has enough support among the wider team at the Italian F1 outfit, something that was never really a concern at Mercedes.

In Budapest last weekend Hamilton even alluded to something deeper going on at Ferrari behind the scenes and with a regulation change on the horizon, a return to a familiar environment isn't entirely out of the question.

READ MORE: Axed F1 chief Guenther Steiner 'set' for multi-million dollar team purchase

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