Why Sebastian Vettel Won’t Be Joining Mercedes in 2021

As things stand, Sebastian Vettel is without a seat in F1 in 2021. With McLaren announcing Daniel Ricciardo, Seb’s chances of landing a competitive seat are alarmingly low. According to reports, Vettel rejected a potential McLaren deal over the extended development time before race wins. With Red Bull shutting the door, Vettel has only one option left in F1, if he wants a competitive drive.

Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton: A problematic pairing

But Mercedes has its own reasons not to sign the 4 times World Champion. Simply put, there’s a microscopic chance of Seb joining Mercedes. Unfortunately, this could very well be Vettel’s last season in F1.

A driver lineup consisting of Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel sounds amazing and would arguably be the strongest pairing on the grid. However, Mercedes can’t afford two Champions at the same time. Despite Vettel asserting that money doesn’t play a part, he’ll still have a price inside his head that even a team like Mercedes cannot match.

In the unlikely scenario that Vettel agrees to a massive pay cut, there are other factors that Mercedes cannot ignore. Mainly, the headache of managing two alpha drivers at the same time.

It hasn’t been made public, but Ferrari’s offer to Seb clearly peeved the 4 times Champion. Some believe Ferrari offered him a deal that didn’t guarantee equal treatment to both drivers. Others say Ferrari was deliberately trying to push him out, right from the start. Nevertheless, it’s quite clear Vettel is seeking a team that cares about him and is willing to back him when the time comes.

Sebastian Vettel won’t play second fiddle to Lewis Hamilton under any circumstances. Intra-team squabbles can quickly get out of control and make for unpleasant fireworks. Something Mercedes is trying to avoid in its quest to remain Champions in F1.

Do they need him?

While Lewis is unlikely to veto Vettel’s arrival, Mercedes would be dealing with two heavyweights that are highly combustible. 10 World Championships sounds nice on paper but it brings in a lot of complexities. The Brackley outfit doesn’t need to upset the balance at this given moment.

By signing Vettel, Mercedes would also be turning a blind eye towards its own young driver program. The Brackley outfit would be throwing poor George Russell under the bus, should they choose Seb. By relegating Russell to a prolonged midfield drive, Mercedes would be setting his career back by many years. More importantly, sabotaging a well established junior program is not a good strategy.

Finally, Mercedes simply doesn’t need Sebastian Vettel at the moment. They’ve got the best car; they’ve got the best driver and they’ve been unstoppable for the past 6 years. In Mercedes’ case – If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Sadly, Seb may be forced to walk away from F1 very prematurely. Make no mistakes, he’s got all the hunger as before to win again but sadly doesn’t have the resources.