The former Ferrari driver that could have joined Mercedes if Toto Wolff hadn’t said no. Sebastian Vettel could have joined Mercedes after leaving Ferrari in 2020.

A former Ferrari driver could have followed the reverse path of Lewis Hamilton and ended up at Mercedes, but Toto Wolff’s decisive ‘no’ prevented it.

It’s not only Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher who have made headlines with moves between top Formula 1 teams. In recent years, another former Ferrari driver came close to joining Mercedes, only to see the opportunity blocked by team principal Toto Wolff.

The backstory dates back to 2020.

The driver in question is Sebastian Vettel, and the events took place at the end of 2020. After Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto decided not to renew Vettel’s contract and instead focus fully on Carlos Sainz, the four-time Formula 1 world champion could have moved to Mercedes in Brackley. This revelation was shared by journalist Bianca Garloff during an appearance on the YouTube channel F1 Insider. According to the German reporter, it was actually Sebastian Vettel himself who offered his services to Mercedes, only to be met with a firm refusal from Toto Wolff.

As a result, the former Red Bull driver had no choice but to listen to and accept the offer from the newly established Aston Martin team. “Toto had the chance to sign Sebastian Vettel after his departure from Ferrari. And Seb would have gladly joined Mercedes if Wolff hadn’t blocked everything,” Garloff explained.

When asked about the possibility of seeing the four-time world champion back in Formula 1, the journalist was clear. “It doesn’t even make sense to talk about it. His time on track is over, and today nobody would want him in a car.”