Lewis Hamilton has admitted he’s not concerned with Mercedes’ recruitment process after announcing that he would be joining Ferrari at the end of the season, but the seven-time Formula 1 World Champion has given his blessing for Sebastian Vettel to make a sensational return to the sport… and has even offered his old seat.

With the Japanese Grand Prix looming this weekend, much of the talk will be about the contrasting fortunes of the rival teams; Max Verstappen needs to come back swinging after a rare blunder forced him to retire early; Ferrari will be looking to build on a sensational result in Albert Park and potentially leapfrog Red Bull in 1st; and Mercedes desperately need to find a solution to their faltering race day performance to save their season.

It’s a welcome distraction from all the talk surrounding the sport’s most decorated driver Lewis Hamilton and the seat that he’ll leave vacant at the end of the 2024 season. The British driver will no doubt be looking down the line at Ferrari with an awry grin, waiting to don the iconic red driver suit for the first time in 2025… and has opened the door for a former champion to take his place at Mercedes.

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Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel were fierce rivals on the grid when the German was driving with Ferrari, trading blows with each passing circuit and going wheel to wheel all the way to the WDC title with the pair in their primes in the 2017 and 2018 seasons… but if anything, it’s only added to Hamilton’s admiration for the four-time champion.

“I would love for Seb to come back. I think he would be an amazing option for the team, to have a multi-world championship-winning driver, someone who’s got amazing values to continue to take this team forwards – I would love it if he came back.”

Lewis Hamilton

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton confessed that he hadn’t given much thought to who his successor will be at the end of the season, but did say that he wanted the driver to share the same values that he had championed throughout his dominant run with Mercedes.

“The only thing I really care about is that the team takes on someone with integrity and that are aligned with the team and where the team’s going,” Hamilton continued. “Someone ­compassionate that’s able to work with great people and continues to lift them up. There’s so many great people in this team.”

The Japanese Grand Prix starts on Sunday 7 April at 3:00PM AEST.