Vettel 'very surprised' by Hamilton's McLaren exit
Oct.7 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has admitted he was "very surprised" when he heard Lewis Hamilton had signed up with Mercedes for 2013.
"It's difficult to judge from the outside," the German is quoted by Spain's El Pais newspaper.
Asked if Hamilton might be just as 'dangerous' in his new silver car in 2013, the Red Bull driver answered: "We'll see what happens.
"Lewis is going to a good team, so it will be a good combination, so I wouldn't say he won't be in the battle for the title," said Vettel.
The German, however, plainly blames Mercedes for friend Michael Schumacher's failure to shine during his three-year comeback.
"He is a great loss to F1," said Vettel, "but for me the problem was that Mercedes was not among the fastest.
"If you put him in a good car, it's hard to believe he would be anything other than competitive."
Share Or Save This Story
The season is still very long - Rosberg
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
Lewis Hamilton labels Sepang qualifying as "best lap" of his 2026 F1 season
Lewis Hamilton warned, Ferrari fined for Bahrain GP impeding
Lewis Hamilton and Fred Vasseur recall GP2 title and 'most impressive race ever', 20 years on
From "paper car" to pole in Malaysia – What's behind Max Verstappen and Red Bull's pace?
Max Verstappen’s unusual run plan and F1 teams’ biggest challenge in Malaysia explained
The hidden F1 performance differentiator nobody is talking about in 2026
“Too slow” Marco Bezzecchi baffled by lack of pace in Japanese GP sprint
What's actually going on with George Russell's FIA cooling vest complaints
Andrea Stella explains recurring Lando Norris straightline speed issue after Bahrain GP qualifying
MotoGP Japanese GP: Full starting grid
How drivers waiting in the wings can still make their presence count in F1
What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Bahrain GP in Malaysia
The hidden F1 performance differentiator nobody is talking about in 2026
As Mercedes looks to deal F1 2026 knockout blow, will its driver fight reignite?
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments