Mercedes warned against Sebastian Vettel signing with huge doubt raised

Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel at the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix.

1996 F1 World Champion Damon Hill says, if he was a team boss looking for a driver, he wouldn’t hire Sebastian Vettel.

The German driver appears to be considering whether or not to explore options to return to Formula 1, but Damon Hill believes the four-time World Champion is past his best.

Damon Hill: I wouldn’t take a chance on Sebastian Vettel

Vettel retired from Formula 1 at the conclusion of the 2022 season, having had two solid seasons with Aston Martin after his tenure at Ferrari came to an underwhelming end.

With the German driver’s focus seemingly no longer on motorsport, he cited a desire to spend time at home with his young family as the reason for wanting to walk away from the sport at just 35 years old.

But, 18 months on, Vettel’s name has been linked with a possible return – perhaps at Mercedes to replace Lewis Hamilton as the seven-time World Champion moves to Ferrari, as team boss Toto Wolff seeks a big name signing.

Vettel recently returned to the cockpit of a high-end racing car, testing a Penske Porsche ahead of Le Mans as he appears to be weighing up a possible assault on the famous endurance race as Porsche decide their third car driver line-up.

Engaging in several interviews as he promotes a new energy drink Perple, for whom he’s become an ambassador and investor, Vettel admitted the possibility of a return to F1 “could be interesting”, but one naysayer is Hill.

The 1996 F1 World Champion addressed the topic on Sky F1 over the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, saying he wouldn’t take the risk of signing the four-time World Champion based on his late-career form.

“He did burn very brightly for a very intense period, and then something happened,” Hill said on the F1 Show.

“It petered out and it bumped along.

“I never really saw that form [afterward] of the youthful Vettel that was dominant. He was great at the beginning of his career and then, when it got difficult at Ferrari and stuff like that, it just sort of became like a labour.

“So would you, as a team boss, take a chance on him rediscovering his form? I wouldn’t, frankly.”

Hill’s sentiments weren’t shared by Sky’s Craig Slater, who reckons the four-time World Champion could do a year at Mercedes ahead of a sensational switch to Audi when they join the grid in 2026.

“He’s got the profile, he’s got the expertise,” Slater said.

“Audi wants to launch with fanfare. He’d be a figurehead for them. If there is a stopgap idea in Toto Wolff’s head before Kimi Antonelli comes along, what better stopgap to have?”

Vettel has confirmed he has spoken with Wolff, although not necessarily about the vacant seat alongside George Russell.

“I’m speaking to Toto. I don’t know if it qualifies as Mercedes, but about other things,” he said.

“You know, there’s ideas that I have, events that I’m planning going forward. So I did speak to a lot of other team principals as well – and not only about racing.”

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Sebastian Vettel: To seriously consider an F1 return would depend on the package

During the week of the Japanese Grand Prix, Vettel spoke about the prospect of returning to the grid, having seemingly come to the realisation that he may have retired from F1 prematurely.

“The better the car, the better the team, the more exciting it is in terms of, you know, having the prospect of being successful,” he told The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X.

“It is obviously… I’m following the sport, I see what’s going on. And it might be appealing and interesting, but it really depends on the full package.

“Because it is a big commitment as well; with all the other stuff going on outside the driving activity.

“So, to seriously consider I think, it would very much of course depend on the package.”

Seemingly referring to older drivers like Fernando Alonso and Hamilton still racing and signing deals, Vettel said: “From an age point of view, I feel bloody young with all the guys that [I was] raised with still hanging around and signing big contracts, being around for longer!

“It looks like I could have another 10 years in the sport!”