Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has refused to rule out signing Sebastian Vettel for next year, but says his priority remains with keeping the drivers he currently has at the team.
Vettel, a four-time world champion, recently announced he would leave Ferrari at the end of the year, putting himself on the market for a switch to a rival team in 2021. Red Bull has already rejected suggestions of pairing him with Max Verstappen, but Mercedes, which currently has no drivers under contract for 2021, has been careful to keep the door open.
Wolff said he was not simply showing respect to Vettel by keeping him as an option, but actually considers him a genuine candidate should options on Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas or Mercedes-contracted Williams driver George Russell fall through.