Ever since Lewis Hamilton dropped his shocker of a move to switch to Ferrari in 2025, the driver market has been on a knife edge. And that’s how it goes in Formula 1; one big move and everyone is left wondering what’s next. Mercedes now has to be on the lookout for a driver who can do a good enough job to fill in the massive shoes of the 7-time world champion. However, the Brackley squad has made a strategic move by signing their Formula 2 star for a crucial role in 2024.

Mercedes signs Frederik Vesti for 2024

With the team set to unveil their 2024 challenger on Wednesday, Mercedes has just confirmed that Frederik Vesti will be stepping into the role of reserve driver with the team for the upcoming season as reported by tv3sport.dk. Vesti almost won the F2 championship in 2023, putting himself on the watchlist of Formula 1 teams should they need a rookie driver. And with Mercedes in dire need to find a replacement for Lewis Hamilton, this might be a masterful stroke of strategy to get Vesti familiarized with the operations of Formula 1.

This also means that he’ll be ready to step in if either of the main drivers, Lewis Hamilton or George Russell, is unable to race in 2024 for some reason. Vesti also gained valuable experience with Formula 1 cars in 2023 when he participated in training sessions for Mercedes in Mexico and Abu Dhabi.

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He will be joining Mick Schumacher who has been the reserve driver for the team since he was let go by Haas in 2022. On top of his duties as a reserve driver Vesti will also take on the challenge at the European Le Mans Series, driving for Cool Racing in 6 races.

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While Mercedes will surely be keeping close tabs on their young driver like Vesti and even Andrea Kimi Antonelli, their first priority will be to put a proven F1 race-winner in their car.

Can Sebastian Vettel be an option for Mercedes in 2025?

Sebastian Vettel is a name that has recently emerged as a possible replacement for Lewis Hamilton. And what could be better for Mercedes to replace their star driver with a 4-time world champion? In a conversation with Sky Sports F1, Vettel indicated that he won’t rule out the possibility of a return to Formula 1, provided certain conditions were met, such as the timing and competitiveness of the opportunity.

F1 insiders Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard recently spoke about the possibility of Vettel’s return with Mercedes on the ‘Formula for Success podcast’. Jordan referenced the example of Michael Schumacher, who returned to Mercedes after leaving Ferrari. David Coulthard echoed this sentiment, mentioning a conversation with Vettel where the German driver expressed willingness to race again and a feeling of unfinished business in Formula 1.

Speculation about Vettel’s return with Mercedes intensified with his recent cryptic Instagram post about getting back into rhythm and preparing for the new season, leading some to speculate if he was hinting at a return to Formula 1.

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SO what are your thoughts on Mercedes signing Vesti as their reserve driver? Do you think it’s a strategic move as a possible replacement for Hamilton considering Toto Wolff spoke about going bold in 2025?