F1 Rumor: Toto Wolff in Talks With Sebastian Vettel, Gives Final Verdict on Grand Return

Lewis Hamilton said his final goodbyes to Sebastian Vettel at the end of the 2022 season and has now moved to his former team Ferrari in the hopes of achieving what his best friend couldn’t, i.e. winning a championship with the Scuderia. However, this move has left a void at Mercedes that’ll need to be filled. Sebastian Vettel’s comeback to F1 anyone? Toto Wolff has now spoken about the possibilities of the same. 

Lewis Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari for the 2025 season came as a shock to many including Toto Wolff. The Mercedes CEO now faces a huge problem of filling Hamilton’s boots at Mercedes. And with the 2026 regulations coming thick and fast, Wolff would want an experienced driver to help with the car development. While Fernando Alonso’s name popped up as a potential replacement, the Spaniard himself advised that Vettel would make a comeback to F1 one day.

This seems like a good opportunity for Vettel to come back with a top team. However, Toto Wolff recently explained the situation as he said, “I think he has made the decision not to race anymore. We talk regularly. We also talked yesterday, but there was no question of driving for us in the future.”

The 2026 season will see F1 move more towards the electrical side for power generation. Smaller cars are also proposed with debate over tires and DRS going on. Teams are already deep into the R&D of the 2026 engines. Mercedes would love to have an experienced driver to help out with the massive changes coming up in 2026 but the options seem bleak. 

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Vettel’s comeback has been yearned by F1 fans since the day he retired. Sebastian Vettel spoke about his comeback last year. Let’s see what he had to say about it. 

“Never rule out something like that”: Sebastian Vettel on his comeback 

Many believed that Sebastian Vettel’s career was over when he joined Aston Martin and left Ferrari. However, the real shock came when Vettel finally made his Instagram account. The joy of his social presence soon turned into sorrow as he posted the first reel, the one of his retirement. Since then, whenever a driver gets injured, misses the race for some reason, or there is a seat empty, Sebastian Vettel’s name is among the first to pop up. 

Sebastian Vettel, when asked about his F1 comeback, said, “I have the privilege of spending more time with my family and my children, that is a priority. Just as I have rediscovered the world in recent years, Formula 1, no matter how big it may be, has always become smaller. You can never rule out something like that [returning to F1]. But at some point the time will be over. My age wasn’t the issue and it was my decision to draw the line. But I didn’t draw it just to cancel it a year later.”

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What do you think? Will Sebastian make a comeback to F1?