Lauda confirms Vettel-Mercedes F1 talks took place

Mercedes Formula 1 non-executive chairman Niki Lauda has confirmed that talks were held with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel over a 2018 race seat, but ended "a couple of months ago".

Ferrari announced on Saturday morning that Vettel had signed a new three-year contract, taking him to the end of the 2020 season at Maranello.

Vettel had been linked with a move to Mercedes for 2018 while he was a free agent, with the defending champion team having a seat available alongside Lewis Hamilton.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Lauda revealed that talks had taken place between Mercedes and Ferrari, but broke down as Vettel found his car to become more and more competitive in his bid for a fifth F1 world title.

“We discussed briefly once with him, but the more the competitive the Ferrari goes the less the reason he would to leave,” Lauda said.

“So therefore we stopped it right away, a couple of months ago.

"Every driver if he is clever talks to more one team so that when he negotiates he is in a better position. I think that is what he did."

Mercedes is still to confirm its line-up for 2018, but Valtteri Bottas is expected to receive a contract extension after an impressive start to life with the German manufacturer.