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Laurence Edmondson, F1 Editor
SUZUKA, Japan — Toto Wolff has left open the possibility of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel making a return to Formula One with Mercedes next year.
Lewis Hamilton is set to leave Mercedes for Ferrari at the end of 2024, opening up a vacancy alongside George Russell next season.
Wolff revealed that he has a shortlist of drivers in mind, although he refused to comment on who was in contention and the exact number of drivers being considered.
Earlier this week, Vettel said he was in communication with Wolff about matters other than an F1 drive and revealed he had entertained the idea of a comeback after retiring from F1 at the end of 2022.
Asked specifically if Vettel is a candidate for a Mercedes drive, Wolff said: “Sebastian is someone you can never discount. His track record is phenomenal, and sometimes maybe taking a break is also good to evaluate what’s important for you and re-find your motivation.
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“We haven’t taken the decision yet and it’s not something we plan to do in the next few weeks. The driver market is very dynamic and some of the really good guys are about to sign for the other teams and we want to continue to have these discussions.
“We have the options open, but it’s much too early to commit to a driver either very young or experienced, don’t want to say old, but the next few months will give us clues.”
Mercedes is currently evaluating junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who is competing in Formula 2 this year, but Wolff has been reluctant to heap additional pressure on the 17-year-old by explicitly naming him as a candidate.
Antonelli is set to drive the championship-winning W12 car from 2021 on April 16, but Wolff said the private test should not be seen as confirmation he is being lined up for a drive next year.
“The programme of Kimi driving F1 has been in place for a long time and hasn’t changed massively over the last few weeks,” Wolff said. “What we have done is added more days, but what you will see has been in place whether or not he’s going to sit in an F1 car next year.”
F1’s testing regulations prevent this year’s car or last year’s car being used in a private test, but Mercedes opted against using the 2022 car for Antonelli’s first taste of F1 machinery on the basis that it was a notoriously difficult car to drive.
“We’ll do a few of these days for him to get comfortable in an F1 car, he’s driving a 2021 car in Austria for the first time, we want to give him a feeling of what a really good car feels like before we put him in the 22. He’s been our young boy for a long time and we’re keen to see what he can do in an F1 car.”
Source: www.espn.com