Eddie Jordan would pick Sebastian Vettel to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes as a short-term solution

Former F1 team principal Eddie Jordan has claimed that Mercedes should go for Sebastian Vettel as a 'short-term solution' to replace Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season.

Hamilton surprised everyone when he announced that he would be leaving the German team to join Ferrari at the beginning of the 2025 season on a multi-year deal. The switch caught everyone off guard as the seven-time world champion had signed a contract extension with Mercedes in August 2023 for two more years.

On his Formula for Success podcast, Jordan chimed in for Vettel to replace his former rival Hamilton at Mercedes.

“I have to say, in the short term, I would look at Vettel. Because we know these cars are not as difficult to drive as in your day, in my day, when you needed a neck the size of a wine barrel," he said.

“It’s just ridiculous, the cars are not as difficult and that’s why you have the longevity. That’s why you have [Fernando] Alonso being able to continue and that’s why you have the much older drivers," Jordan added.

Jordan pointed out that the German connection might work in Sebastian Vettel's favor as he could replicate his hero Michael Schumacher, adding:

“I think Vettel has to be in the frame, because of the German contact. We know what happened with Michael before, he left Ferrari and where did he go? Back to Mercedes, so that’s a possibility. But, if it was me, and the way Formula 1 is progressing, I would look at Vettel – I think it’s a good choice. It makes sense for Mercedes, a German driver in the car.”

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Mercedes team boss speaks about maintaining contact with Sebastian Vettel

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stated that he has been in regular contact with Sebastian Vettel since his latter's retirement in 2022.

Wolff told PlanetF1 about their point of conversation:

“I think he made the decision to not race anymore. We are talking on a regular basis. We also talked yesterday, but it wasn’t about driving for us in the future.”

There are a whole host of drivers in contention for the drive at Mercedes come next season but the Mercedes team boss had previously stated that he was in no rush to look for a replacement just yet and would make the decision in due time.