F1 Rumor: Fred Vasseur and Co. Poach Six Key Figures From Mercedes

“Everyone is a Ferrari fan. Even if they say they’re not, they are Ferrari fans. You ask the guys at Mercedes; they are Ferrari fans,” said Sebastian Vettel during the Canadian Grand Prix in 2016. Who knew he was foreshadowing the biggest transfer in the sport? Despite winning six of his seven championships at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton has decided to bid goodbye to Mercedes for his childhood dream of being a Ferrari driver. But what are the repercussions of the jaw-dropping move?

Usually, people who have a close working relationship with the driver tend to move with him, especially if he is of Lewis Hamilton’s caliber. There have been rumors of such transfers, including that of Hamilton’s race engineer, Peter Bonnigton.

But guess what? He might not be the only one leaving. In a recent interview, Toto Wolff admitted that someone of Lewis’ stature leaving would hurt the team in terms of visibility in the market, but did he apprehend the hurt of his team being empty due to the move?

According to ORF, six names will move from Mercedes to Ferrari next season. The agreement between the teams has been finalized. If this is true, Frederic Vasseur may have pulled the biggest recruitment for Maranello since Michael Schumacher. This can even be called bigger because Michael was a 2x champ when he came to the team, as opposed to Lewis being a 7x one.

But what does this poaching mean for Mercedes? Sleepless nights, perhaps.

Mercedes TP Toto Wolff corrected his “wrong choice” ahead of the Japanese GP

Toto Wolff has a gargantuan task at hand. Nobody he knows can fill the shoes of Lewis Hamilton, and now this realization has sent the team into a frenzy. While Frederic Vasseur might finally be getting a good night’s sleep, Wolff, on the other hand, has lost his peace. This is probably why he decided to change his plans to miss the Japanese GP.

“I had planned not to come to Japan because there’s so much on back in Europe, things to do, but then I felt not coming to Japan was the wrong choice,” the Mercedes TP said.

He further added, “I think it’s important to be with the race team also. It does me good also to be close to the action. We are experimenting with a few things and then being part of the team really gives me energy. I hope the other way around too. So that’s why I decided against staying in Europe.”

READ MORE: “Everyone Is a Ferrari Fan”: Despite Rejecting Leclerc After Coffee Date, Wolff Plays Tifosi to Unite Against Verstappen

Who do you think will fill in for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes?