Wolff admits Vettel is "on Mercedes' wishlist"

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has admitted that Sebastian Vettel is still on the teams' wishlist as contract talks with Lewis Hamilton still haven't led to anything.

Vettel, who is tied down to Ferrari until 2020, has always been a target for the Silver Arrows, although not a first priority.

"Sebastian is definitely on our list, but he has a contract until 2020," Wolff told German news outlet Bild.

"Until that time, we can only look at our own drivers."

Speaking of own drivers, both Bottas and Hamilton are out of contracts at the end of the year, with both drivers having yet to pen a deal at Mercedes. Possible replacements include Daniel Ricciardo, Wolff said in an earlier interview, but he now walks that back a little.

"We'll be looking at our own pool of talent first, but drivers from other teams are definitely an option.

"Ricciardo is definitely one of those."

It's not strange that Mercedes want a German driver. In the same way Ferrari always like to have Italian drivers when possible, Mercedes would also love it if someone shares the nationality of the team.