Vettel plays down talk of replacing Rosberg

Sebastian Vettel has played down claims he could partner Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes next year following world champion Nico Rosberg’s shock retirement.

Rosberg’s decision to walk away from motor racing, just five days after sealing his maiden title, leaves Mercedes, Formula One’s all-conquering team who have won 51 of the last 59 races, with a vacant seat next season.

Vettel, the four-time world champion, who has just finished a disappointing campaign with Ferrari after he failed to record a single victory, has been mooted as a mouth-watering candidate to replace his compatriot Rosberg at the German manufacturer.

But the 29-year-old still has one year to run on his Ferrari contract, and Vettel rebuffed suggestions he could team up with Hamilton next year.

Asked at the Ferrari Finals in Daytona whether he had been in touch with Mercedes, Vettel replied: “I think it is not a big secret. Kimi (Raikkonen) and myself both have a contract (at Ferrari) for next year so it should be clear. A lot of things are happening but for us it is rather quiet, which is a good sign. We are focusing on our job that we have, which is a lot of work for next year.”

“There are a lot of changes to the car so a lot of effort is going in, and there could be a surprise, but we will have to wait and see.”

Vettel won four consecutive titles with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013 before joining Ferrari.

But despite winning three times in his opening campaign, he was warned by team boss Maurizio Arrivabene earlier this year that he would have to earn his next deal with the Italian team.

Niki Lauda, the Mercedes chairman, said he expected the team to have a replacement for Rosberg before the end of the year.

McLaren’s Fernando Alonso is also in the frame – but like Vettel is under contract for next year – while Pascal Wehrlein, Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Ocon would offer potential for the future and are easier to secure.