The news of Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari after the end of the season trundled waves in the paddock. It then left Mercedes in a tough position to find a recruit to fill the void that would be left by the Englishman. Former world champion Sebastian Vettel was rumored to take the seat owing to his German roots. However, 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg has deemed this move unlikely under current circumstances.
A tie-up between Sebastian Vettel and Mercedes has been suggested since the early reigns of the German. Moreover, this alliance was rumored as Vettel’s idol, Michael Schumacher also came back from his sabbatical with the German marque team. So, to follow his idol’s path, a move to unretire and join Mercedes seemed to be on the cards for Vettel.
This raised debates throughout the paddock regarding whether such a move could become a possibility as the German has been out of the game for a while. However, Nico Rosberg reflected upon the possibility and was skeptical of it.
The 38-year-old claimed that a George Russell-Vettel pair would be great for the sport. However, his last season in F1(2022) was not at par with his best and did not project a glimpse of his Red Bull era. Thus, rendering the 36-year-old out of the equation despite stating that he would be happier than ever if Vettel made a return in the silver overalls.
Seeing Sebastian Vettel alongside him[George Russell] would be great, however it must be recognized that in 2022 he was not as competitive in Aston Martin as Alonso is today and therefore I wonder if he is still as fast as he was in his heyday. Ultimately, I see his return as unlikely , although personally I would be pleased. Nico Rosberg said in an interview with Sky UK
Nico Rosberg claims George Russell is the No.1 driver at Mercedes
When Russell joined Mercedes in 2022, he was underestimated as he had a world-champion teammate alongside him. However, he proved his worth on the grid by outscoring Hamilton that season and posing himself as one of the strongest on the grid. Now, the Brit is posed with a challenge to lead as his compatriot has decided to leave the team, and Rosberg reckons that he is doing a phenomenal job.
The German claimed Russell to be driving like the No.1 driver ever since it was announced that Hamilton would leave the team.
He claimed that despite questions regarding his ability, Russell has proved himself as the team leader at Mercedes. Moreover, in the intra-team rivalry, the 26-year-old is leading his teammate by a long shot and is the only Mercedes driver to have got a top-five finish so far this season.
George Russell is driving like a first driver, it's fantastic. It wasn't clear if he would be able to do it, but he is an asset for the Silver Arrows. Nico Rosberg said in an interview with Sky UK
Despite his best efforts, Russell is stuck in a midfield battle and is far away from the dreams of challenging for a world title. He has subsequently urged Mercedes to level up their game as W15 is not providing him a stable platform to build upon. Thus, the work now relies on the engineers at Brackley to fix the issues with the W15.
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