Mercedes driver George Russell has weighed in on the possibility of Sebastian Vettel joining the team for the 2025 season.
Vettel has refused to close the door on a sensational return to F1 as Mercedes look for a replacement for the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton.
And Russell, via the official Formula 1 website, has now reacted to the talk around the four-time world champion.
Soon after Hamilton’s move to the Scuderia was confirmed, it emerged that Vettel was open to the idea of a comeback with Mercedes.
Bernie Collins, who worked alongside the ex-Ferrari and Red Bull star at Aston Martin, predicted that he’d accept an offer from the Silver Arrows.
Former driver Hans Stuck said he was ‘100%’ convinced that the 36-year-old would end up partnering Russell for 2025.
Vettel hung up his helmet at the end of the 2022 season but former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan thinks it would ‘make sense’ for Toto Wolff to hire him.
In a recent interview, he admitted that he remained in contact with the Mercedes team principal.
On top of his four world titles, Vettel also won 53 races, bagged 122 podiums and scored 57 pole positions during his career.
George Russell would be ‘happy’ to race alongside Sebastian Vettel
When a reporter asked him about the prospect of going up against Vettel, Russell insisted he would back himself against anyone.
He’s currently out-performing the most successful driver in the sport’s history in Hamilton, leading their qualifying head-to-head three-nil and out-scoring him by 18 points to eight.
The 26-year-old has ‘missed’ Vettel during his time away from the sport, but stresses that the identity of his teammate doesn’t necessarily matter to him.
He said: “For sure his personality is missed. I’m really happy and open to having anybody as my team mate.
“Whether it’s a world champion or a rookie, it doesn’t change how I go about my business.”
Will Kimi Antonelli be Russell’s teammate next year?
It’s noteworthy that Russell mentions the possibility of racing alongside a ‘rookie’, albeit in passing.
That’s because he could end up welcoming teenage sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli to the team for next year.
Figures inside the F1 paddock regard the Italian as the ‘next Max Verstappen‘.
Wolff’s ‘Plan A’ is to promote his academy driver straight to the top team, though much will depend on his performances in F2 for the remainder of the year.
Antonelli, who’s up against Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman, sits ninth in the championship after the first three rounds.
Mercedes may decide that it’s too early for the 17-year-old to compete at the front of the field, and look to place him at Williams instead.
Significantly, though, one journalist has suggested that he could get a shot with James Vowles’ team as early as the Italian Grand Prix, should Logan Sargeant continue to struggle.
That could give him the best possible chance to show he’s ready for a Mercedes drive in 2025.
Russell, now a race-winning driver, spent three years racing at Williams before he replaced Valtteri Bottas at the German manufacturer.
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