Is Rosberg making his comeback at Mercedes as Hamilton's replacement?

Lewis Hamilton is leaving Mercedes at the end of this season, leaving a coveted seat vacant in Formula 1. One person Toto Wolff does not need to call is Nico Rosberg. For one, he sees little point in an F1 comeback.

Hamilton will make the switch from Mercedes to Ferrari in 2025, and with that, Silly Season got underway early. Numerous names are being mentioned as Hamilton's replacement, including Sebastian Vettel. Former driver David Coulthard even joked about it on social media. Another world champion who could still make his comeback in terms of age is 38-year-old Rosberg. However, he himself does not see that as a possibility.

"That's over. I have no return planned," the German told Süddeutsche Zeitung. Rosberg quit Formula 1 at the end of 2016 when he won his first and only world title with Mercedes. That year had demanded so much from him that he decided enough was enough.

While peers Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are still competing in F1, Rosberg thinks he is no longer competitive enough. "I should really prepare intensively for a year, just to get the brain used to it again. A driver has to be able to react very quickly at top speed. That disappeared with me after such a long break," the world champion concluded.