Lewis Hamilton has given his seal of approval to Sebastian Vettel taking his seat at Mercedes if Toto Wolff chooses to offer it to the four-time world champion.
Vettel retired from F1 at the end of the 2022 season, but left the door open for a possible return in the future.
He's already begun testing the waters for a return to competitive racing after testing the Porsche hypercar that will run in this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans.
But the German has fueled speculation of a potential return to F1 in the near future after confirming he's been talking to Wolff along with several other team principals.
Lewis Hamilton would be a fan of Sebastian Vettel taking his seat at Mercedes
GETTY
F1 is set to undergo a major change to its grid next year with only seven drivers signed up for the 2025 season and beyond.
Mercedes are yet to make a decision on who will replace Hamilton with Wolff making no secret of his desire to bring Max Verstappen on board.
The Dutchman appears unlikely to leave unless Red Bull make some drastic decision behind the scenes, meaning Wolff will have to look elsewhere.
The young Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been tipped as the main option if Mercedes opt for youth to take Hamilton's seat.
However, Hamilton would be a big fan of Mercedes giving Vettel a chance back in F1 alongside George Russell next year.
"I would love for Seb to come back," Hamilton said.
"He would be an amazing option for the team.
"A German driver, a multi-world championship-winning driver and someone who has got amazing values and continues to take this team forward.
"I'd love it if he came back."
Toto Wolff has made no secret that he wants Max Verstappen
GETTY
Asked to elaborate further on whether he would prefer to be succeeded by a young driver or someone more experienced, Hamilton appeared to suggest he would be more in favour of the former.
"The only thing I really care about is that the team takes on someone that with integrity and that are aligned with the team and where the team's going," Hamilton said.
"Someone compassionate that's able to work with great people and continues to lift them up. There's so many great people in this team.
LATEST SPORT NEWS:
Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes at the end of the year
GETTY
"And as drivers... there are some that are more selfish than others, there are some that are good drivers but perhaps not the best within the team environment, I don't know because I'm not been in with all of them . But I hope they find someone great.
"They've already got George and he's perfect, so finding a good option alongside him I'm sure they've got so many good options.
"I do think it's always great to give an opportunity to up and coming drivers so the idea of a youngster coming in for me is exciting."