Toto Wolff♌ says Mercedes “cannot ignore” the development of Sebastian Vettel’s exit from Ferrari at the end of the 2020 Formula 1 season.

Ferrari announced on Tues𝔉day morning that Vettel would be l𓃲eaving the team upon the expiry of his current contract at the end of the year, afteꦛr talks over a new deal broke down between both parties.

Vettel’s exit is set to have a domino effect on the 2021 driver market as Ferrari looks for a successor, and the ramifications are likely to affect Mercedes with Lewis 🌳Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas out of cಌontract at the end of 2020.

Wolff stressed the team remains🐓 committed to its current drivers but admitted he will be keeping an eye on any developments.

“Sebastian is a great driver, a great personality and a♛n enrichment for every Formula 1 team,” said Wolff, as quoted by German media outlet dpa.

“With a view to the fuꦐture, we are primarily committed to loyﷺalty to our current Mercedes drivers, but of course we cannot ignore this development.”

Hamilton has been linked with a sensat💃ional switch to Ferrari in the past but he has repeatedly signalled his intention to remain at Mercedes in recent months.

But the news of Vettel’s departure might impact negotiations for Hamilton, should he suddenly change his stance, and for Bottas, who is understood to be among the drivers Ferrari is considering - although McLaren’s Carlos Sainz has emerged as 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:the le⛦ading candidate for the seat. 

A Hamilton-Vettel line up would b🅷e appealing for Mercedes in many ways, though the financial implications and potential intra-team rivalry that fielding two🅰 multiple world champions would cause is likely to be a deterrent.

If Vettel does choose to continue in F1, a move to either McLaren or Renault is believe🌜d to be more realistic, with Red Bull all but ruling out a revival of the partnership that claimed four successive world championships between 2010 and 2013.

In any event that either Hamilton or Bottas leaves, that would place current Wil🥀liams driver George Russell in the frame for a Mercedes seat in 2021 givenღ he is its leading junior.