Sebastian Vettel wouldn't comment on rumours that he has opened dialogue with Mercedes for 2018 when pressed on the matter in Spain, insisting his sole focus is on winning the title with Ferrari this year.
Former team owner turned pundit Eddie Jordan suggested the two parties had been talking since the beginning of the year, whilst some Italian-based media outlets have gone as far as suggesting they have already agreed pre-contract terms.
The German brushed the rumours aside, describing them as "not that important" as he finds himself in a position to win his fifth title and first with Ferrari.
"I don’t know. Is it coming from Italy? Maybe you asked the Italians. They seem to know more than I do," he said on Thursday. "I think the situation is clear. My main focus is on this year, not the line I drop, it’s a fact.
"We find ourselves in a very good position this year and that’s what we want to keep. Everything else is not that important.
"There’s some rumours also in previous years."
Meanwhile turning his attention to this weekend which is traditionally when teams introduce major upgrades which can tweak the pecking order, Vettel said that is no longer the case and it is therefore too early to tell if Ferrari can keep Mercedes honest in the title battle.
"I think we are in a much better position this year than previous years, but it’s still fairly early [to make predictions]," he added.
"I think this will be an important race. People bring some bits. But if you look at the last 10 years, it’s not anymore a fixed date where you bring a new car. Top teams tend to bring stuff nearly every race.
"Mercedes have had a phenomenal run the past few years and they’re still the ones to beat. If you look race by race and overall they’ve been dominant and it’s difficult to beat that, but we’re doing our best."
