Vettel confirmed the information, and left an open return. “Am I looking for a seat? It depends on the package as a whole. I didn't retire from Formula 1 thinking about returning, but I also said it wasn't possible to be absolutely sure. And I think that remains true,” said the four-time F1 champion, which recently tested the Porsche hypercar, which competes in the World Endurance Championship.
Hamilton said he never thought about leaving the sport and then returning, but said he understands what motivates champions like Schumacher, Alonso and, perhaps Vettel, to do so. “You miss it. It's the best sport in the world, it's the best experience in the world, an incredible feeling of working with a group of people towards a great goal. I never asked them, but I imagine that's it. You won't have the same feeling with other things.”
Especially in recent years, when Vettel started to publicly defend causes related to the environment, he and Hamilton became allies in putting topics on the agenda in Formula 1 that were previously ignored by the category. At Mercedes, Hamilton stated in his contract that the team had to commit to promoting diversity, developing specific programs to provide opportunities for minorities. And naturally he would like to see this type of work continue within the team. Without Vettel on the grid this year, Hamilton ended up being a bit lonely raising extra-track flags.
The Englishman took the opportunity to give a message that seemed more like a jab at one of the drivers who have put themselves forward as candidates for his place, his former teammate Fernando Alonso. He did not mention the Spaniard directly, but spoke of drivers who do not contribute positively to the team environment and indicated he was referring to someone he has worked with. When they were teammates at McLaren in 2007, he and Alonso clashed on several occasions.
“The only thing I care about is that the team gets someone with integrity, who is aligned with the team and where the team is going. Someone with the compassion to work with these great people and who continues to grow them.” ” said Hamilton.
“There are some drivers who are more selfish than others, some good drivers who are not so good for the environment within the team. I haven't worked with all of them. They already have George and they have so many good options. I think it's always good to give opportunity for the drivers that are coming up, so the idea of having a young one is also interesting for me.”
