Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff claims rumours that Lewis Hamilton could be mulling a switch to Ferrari in the near future have been "blown out of proportion".
The Briton has previously admitted that Ferrari "could be a future option" if his circumstances change, and with their current form and the fact Hamilton's current two-year deal with Mercedes expires at the end of the 2020 season, Ferrari could well be an attractive option ahead of proposed major rule changes in 2021.
Wolff though is confident that Hamilton is happy at Mercedes, but conceded the upcoming rule changes could shuffle the pack, but Mercedes would do its best to persuade Hamilton that staying put is his safest bet for further success.
"I think that this Ferrari thing has maybe been blown out of proportion," said Wolff. "Lewis has a clear opinion where he sees himself in the future and we have always been very loyal to our drivers.
"[In] 2021 everything is different and the drivers, in the same way as the teams, will be looking at opportunities and their future [to] evaluate options that are on the table, benchmark the team’s performance and at the end of the day the car’s performance is what counts the most for the top guys.
"These [future] discussions have slowly but surely started but I don’t see this coming to any closure in terms of the 2021 line-up any time soon. That will be going into the next season, in my opinion."
