“It makes sense” - Legendary F1 driver tipped to be Lewis Hamilton’s replacement at Mercedes

Legendary F1 boss Eddie Jordan believes Mercedes signing Sebastian Vettel for 2025 “makes sense”.

Mercedes need to decide who will partner George Russell next season following Lewis Hamilton’s surprise decision to join Ferrari.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has vowed to be “bold” with their choice, with a number of options available to him.

Fernando Alonso, Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon are the four names that have been constantly mooted for various reasons.

Mercedes junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who is set to embark on his first F2 season next month, could be a wildcard option as the outfit looks to find ‘the next Max Verstappen’.

One other option could be Vettel, who retired from F1 at the end of 2022.

Vettel could be tempted into a return given Mercedes are likely going to give him competitive machinery, plus it would give them a German driver.

Speaking on the Formula for Success podcast, Jordan said: “I think Vettel has to be in the frame because of the major German contact.  And we know what happened with Michael before. He left Ferrari, where did he go to? Back to Mercedes. So, that’s a possibility.

“If it was me, and the way that Formula 1 is progressing, I would look at Vettel. I think it’s a good choice. It makes sense for Mercedes [to have a] German driver in the car.”

Jordan reckons Hamilton’s departure, so close to the start of a new season, is “disturbing” and “distressing” for everyone at Mercedes.

“I think Toto is under a bit of pressure with Mercedes as to why, for example, we weren’t aware of this before up until car launch time. It’s disturbing [and] distressing for the team,” he added.