Sebastian Vettel has said that he "will not be distracted" amid speculation he could be first in line for a move to Mercedes for 2018.
Mercedes signed up Valtteri Bottas only for this year, with team boss Toto Wolff admitting that quadruple world champion Vettel "would fit" at the German team.
Vettel admits that he is not surprised about the rumours, given his own expiring contract.
"I understand if from the outsider's perspective," the Ferrari driver is quoted as saying by Germany's Auto Bild.
"But at the moment, my only goal is to keep moving forwards with Ferrari, and I will not be distracted from that. To succeed, every single step must be taken.
"There is no shortcut to success."
However, Vettel did say that he can imagine spending the rest of his career at Ferrari, as it is "more than a mere racing team", although he insisted that he is "not thinking about" contractual matters at the moment.
