Lewis Hamilton believes that Sebastian Vettel would be a top successor at Mercedes as a personality – Günther Steiner takes up the cudgels for Nico Hülkenberg
Lewis Hamilton thinks Sebastian Vettel would be “a great option” for the Mercedes team when it comes to filling his cockpit for the 2025 season. Hamilton is known to be moving to Ferrari next year, and it is not yet clear who will be George Russell’s team-mate in the “Silver Arrow”
Vettel is not one of the favorites for the vacant seat at Mercedes, but he is said to have at least indicated to team boss Toto Wolff that he could be interested in principle should an opportunity arise. Provided his wife and children would agree, because they are now a priority for the four-time world champion.
According to Hamilton, Vettel would be a good choice: “I would love it if Seb came back,” he says ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka. “A German driver, a multiple world champion, and also one with outstanding values, who would certainly help to take the team forward. I would like that.”
Ultimately, of course, the future Ferrari driver will have no say in the choice of his successor. But what he would like to see at Mercedes is “someone with passion who is able to work with these great people and build them up.”
No team players: Which drivers is Hamilton referring to?
In Formula 1, there are also “drivers who are more selfish than others. They may be great drivers, but they’re not the best team players,” says Hamilton. He leaves it open who he is referring to, but for some, such statements may bring back memories of Fernando Alonso, with whom Hamilton drove for McLaren-Mercedes in 2007. A partnership that ended in the “War of the Stars”.
Hamilton could also imagine a commitment from Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the Mercedes junior from Formula 2: “They already have George, and they have so many options. I always think it’s great when an up-and-coming driver gets a chance. I find the possibility of a youngster exciting.”
Mercedes recently announced that it would not make a decision until the summer at the earliest. In addition to Vettel and Antonelli, the rumored candidates also include such high-flyers as Fernando Alonso, possibly Max Verstappen, should he really leave Red Bull due to the Horner affair, or the Melbourne winner Carlos Sainz, who was fired by Ferrari.
Russell would have no problem with Vettel
George Russell ultimately doesn’t care who his team-mate is. In any case, he would have no problem with Vettel: “Sebastian is a great guy. He’s a four-time world champion and his personality is missing on the grid.” The most important thing, however, is “that ultimately the 20 best drivers in the world are fighting for victories and the world championship,” says Russell.
From a German perspective, there is one other candidate besides Sebastian Vettel who could come into question for Mercedes. This is Nico Hülkenberg, currently with Haas but still without a contract for 2025. The 36-year-old is considered one of Sauber boss Andreas Seidl’s preferred candidates – and could at least theoretically also be an issue for Mercedes.
That is, if the team decides that 2025 is still too early for Antonelli, but they want to keep the option open for 2026. Then there will only be a one-year contract for Russell’s team-mate in 2025, and that in turn would probably bother a veteran like Hülkenberg less than a younger driver
Steiner: Nobody makes a mistake with Hülkenberg
From the point of view of Hülkenberg’s former team boss Günther Steiner, Mercedes would “not make a mistake” by hiring the German, even if he has never been on the podium in Formula 1: “Nico would be very good, for any team.” The video will be published for all users on Saturday.
Channel members can already watch the video in full length, ad-free until Saturday. In it, Steiner praises Hülkenberg as “very cool”, as a very good person and as a driver “without airs and graces”. And he emphasizes: “He is one of the best in qualifying. Certainly in the top 3. And I don’t think he’s given enough credit in the race. “
Hülkenberg is also someone who has proven that it is possible to successfully return to the race cockpit after a Formula 1 break. His career actually seemed to be over at the end of 2019, but he made a name for himself as the “Hulkenback” during the coronavirus pandemic and celebrated a highly acclaimed comeback at Haas in 2023.
Hamilton: When I’m gone, I’m gone!
Will Vettel now be able to take a two-year Formula 1 break just like that? That remains a question mark for now. For Lewis Hamilton, one thing is certain: “I would never return after a break of one or two years. When I’m gone, I’m – hopefully – gone forever!”
“That you might miss it then is completely normal. It’s the greatest sport in the world and it’s the best feeling to work as part of a team to win and achieve something together. You may never find something that fulfills you as much again. I’ve never asked other riders what it is that they miss. I can only imagine,” he says.
