Wolff does not exclude the Vettel hypothesis in 2025: “We can never rule it out”

Asked at a press conference about the future replacement for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, Toto Wolff did not close the door to a return of Sebastien Vettel to Formula 1 with the Silver Arrows.

The days pass, and the rumor Sebastian Vettel swollen. The former driver with four world championship titles is more than ever at the heart of the news. Between the tests carried out with Porsche on board the 963, and his recent media outing on Sky Sports, the German seems more ready than ever to come out of his sporting retirement, which began in 2022. And in a transfer market as turbulent and uncertain as the one we are currently experiencing, his name is inevitably on everyone's lips...

For several weeks, Sebastien Vettel has been closely linked to a potential return to Formula 1, with Mercedes Benz, replacing Lewis Hamilton. If this hypothesis remains for the moment at the level of a simple rumor, it has reached the ears of Toto wolff. And obviously, the question did not escape him during the press conference, ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, at Suzuka.

If the main director of Mercedes tried to take tweezers to raise the subject, the Austrian could not hide the ongoing discussions with the German driver. “Sebastian [Vettel] is someone you can never dismiss. I think his journey is phenomenal. And sometimes it's good to take a break to reevaluate what's important to you and refine your motivation. As I said before, we haven't made a decision yet, recalls Toto Wolff. And that's not something we plan to do in the next few weeks. »

Vettel, a backup plan in case of failure with Verstappen?

As for several weeks, Toto Wolff advocates patience before knowing the identity of the second Mercedes driver in 2025... at the risk of losing certain cartridges. The Team Principal did not, moreover, never hidden his desire to recruit Max Verstappen if the three-time reigning world champion decided to leave Red Bull before the end of his contract, which runs until 2028.

“I know the driver market is very dynamic. Some of the best drivers are about to sign for other teams. We want to continue to have these discussions and keep options open, he specifies. But at this stage I think it's much too early to commit to any driver, whether very young or very experienced - I don't mean old - very experienced, and the next few months will give us more directions. »

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