Formula 1: Future team swap for Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel?

A future Formula 1 team swap has been rumored between Mercedes and Ferrari involving five-time champion Lewis Hamilton and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport executive director and CEO Toto Wolff recently discussed a possibility pertaining Mercedes’ future Formula 1 driver lineup, and it involves a potential driver swap between two drivers who have won multiple Formula 1 championships, five-time champion Lewis Hamilton and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel.

Last July, Hamilton signed a two-year contract extension to continue driving for Mercedes through the 2020 season.

Hamilton is currently in his seventh consecutive season driving for the team after arriving there ahead of the 2013 season.

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In August of 2017, Vettel signed a three-year contract extension to continue driving for Ferrari through the 2020 season.

Vettel is currently in his fifth consecutive season driving for the team after arriving there ahead of the 2015 season.

But Wolff does not see it as too far-fetched for the 34-year-old Briton and the 31-year-old German to swap teams before their Formula 1 careers conclude, which would send Hamilton to the Prancing Horse and Vettel to the Silver Arrows before they retire from the sport.

Here is what Wolff had to say about the possibility of Vettel driving for Mercedes, according to Express.

"“Sebastian is someone for whom I have huge respect as a driver and a person. Who knows what the future holds. We are a German company, Germany is our home market and the home of the brand. At some point in Formula 1, we made the decision to put the best possible drivers in the car, uncompromisingly. But if a German driver is at that level and available, that would be nice.”"

Regarding Hamilton potentially leaving Mercedes to drive for Ferrari, here is what Wolff had to say, according to Express.

"“We talked openly about it when we signed the last contract. Ferrari is the most prestigious brand in F1, and every driver dreams of winning a championship with them. I understand that perfectly.“On the other hand, Mercedes has a great story and we have renewed the glories of the past, which is something Lewis is proud of. Nobody knows the future. Personally I hope he finishes his career by winning more titles with us, but I know that everyone has the desire to wear red.”"

For quite some time, there have been rumors that Hamilton may want to end his career driving for Ferrari, and they make sense given Ferrari’s current driver situation and the fact that Hamilton is the only one of the five drivers who have won at least four Formula 1 championships who has never driven for the Italian team.

However, rumors regarding Vettel driving for Mercedes have been far less prevalent given the fact that Mercedes have two prominent junior drivers, Esteban Ocon and George Russell, seemingly waiting in the wings for Hamilton and teammate Valtteri Bottas to depart from the team.

Will Lewis Hamilton drive for Ferrari before his Formula 1 career concludes? Will Sebastian Vettel drive for Mercedes before his career concludes? While neither of these scenarios looks particularly likely, it is still anybody’s guess this early in the game, as both are certainly possible.