Hamilton deal 'doesn't matter' to Vettel

Sebastian Vettel has provided his thoughts on Lewis Hamilton's big-money new contract with Mercedes when previewing the German Grand Prix on Thursday afternoon, but stopped short of providing an emotive response, saying what happens to Hamilton and his career "doesn't matter" to him.

The negotiations between Hamilton and Mercedes have stretched out for months, with speculation mounting that the Brit could jump ship to another team, even if both parties never admitted this was a possibility.

On Thursday morning, the new contract was announced, and Vettel was asked to provide his opinion on the deal, as well as that of Max Verstappen's, during a press conference previewing the German GP this weekend.

"Congrats," he said. "I don't know why it took so long but I think it was pretty clear.

"No reactions. It's clear what matters to me and what happens to them [regarding Hamilton and Verstappen's 2020 deals] doesn't really matter. I have my place and my mission and that, in all honesty, is all that matters."

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Vettel then admitted he was looking forward to battling with Hamilton for a few more years at least, as he wants to compete versus the very best drivers for championships.

"It's always great if it's tight at the top so it's great if you have six cars fighting for poles and wins" the German continued.

"Some years ago we had even more cars on the podium fighting for race wins so that would be great to see the gap closing.

"Normally that just happens naturally if you just let it be. Until 2021 it should be fairly stable. You want to fight the best and Lewis has been one of the best since he entered Formula 1 so it's good to be there."

In the last race at Silverstone, a war of words started between Ferrari and Mercedes following Kimi Raikkonen crashing into Hamilton, with the latter accusing the Prancing Horse's "tactics" during the race. Ferrari were quick to defend themselves, but Vettel has warned against making a mountain out of a molehill.

"I'm not a big fan of getting more out of it than there seems to be," Vettel added.

"I think it's fine. Obviously it was silly to say it but we are racing, we've all been there and it's never great if you are hit without doing anything wrong.

"It's also fine to express your opinion even if it's not right or reasonable. It's human, so I think it's fine. It's two weeks ago, we move on."