Mercedes boss Toto Wolff affirms Vettel comeback rumours, says 'It's never a name you can discount'

The Formula 1 2024 Calendar season has been nothing less than interesting, and the biggest highlight of the season is Mercedes, who will be without a driver in the upcoming 2025 season. Now that Lewis Hamilton has signed for Ferrari, 2024 will be his last in the Silver Arrows. The spot has developed a lot of speculations on who will replace Hamilton as the next number-one driver for the team. Amid the talks, there are strong rumours that Sebastian Vettel may consider a return to the circuit, and the Mercedes team principal has opened up on the speculations that have been running wild on the scene.   

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Mercedes AMG boss Toto Wolff doesn't rule out a Sebastian Vettel F1 return

Toto Wolff, the principal of the Mercedes team, stated that he may "never discount" Sebastian Vettel in the wake of rumours that the four-time world champion would rejoin Silver Arrows in Formula One. Before this, Vettel acknowledged that he was thinking about returning to Formula One, citing continuing discussions with Toto Wolff, the boss of Mercedes AMG F1, along with other team owners.

"Seb I think is flirting with the idea of going racing again. You can see he's done a sportscar test with Porsche and has been enjoying it, and I think maybe there is the idea that came back of maybe coming back to Formula 1.

"Sebastian has been a good friend since a long time, I respect him as a driver a lot. Therefore it's never a name you can discount and say 'No it's not for us', it needs to be part of any discussions going forward," the Mercedes team boss said as quoted by Formula 1.

"Sometimes maybe taking a break is also good to reevaluate what's important for you and to re-find your motivation. As I said before, we haven't taken the decision yet, and it's not something we plan to do in the next few weeks," Wolff added.

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After 15 years in Formula One, during which he won four world championships, 53 races, and 57 pole positions, Vettel announced his retirement at the end of the 2022 season. However, it appears that Vettel's experience with the Porsche 963 WEC Hypercar may have inspired him to go back to the racecourse. Even though his comeback is only speculation, it will be a huge development for the already thrilling 2024 calendar.