F1: Sebastian Vettel signs three-year deal extension with Ferrari

Four-times formula one champion Sebastian Vettel ended speculation about his immediate future by signing a three-year contract extension with Ferrari on Saturday.

The Italian team said the new deal covered the 2018, 2019 and 2020 seasons but gave no further details in a statement of just 30 words.

Vettel is 14 points clear of Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton in the current standings, with nine races remaining.

The German had been out of contract at the end of this season and there had been speculation about a possible switch to Mercedes. 

Hamilton, a triple world champion who has one more year left on his Mercedes contract, laughed off that possibility earlier in the week when he told reporters that his rival did not want to be his teammate.

Niki Lauda, the Mercedes non-executive chairman, told Sky Sports that there had been talks with Vettel.

"We discussed it briefly once with him, but the more competitive Ferrari goes the less the reason he would want to leave," said the retired triple world champion. "So therefore we stopped right away a couple of months ago.
"I think every driver, if he's clever, talks to more than one team. Then when you negotiate you're in a better position. That's what he did," added the Austrian.

Vettel's Finnish team mate Kimi Raikkonen, the 37-year-old 2007 world champion, has already agreed a contract extension for 2018, keeping Ferrari's line-up unchanged for next year.