Hamilton and Vettel to join forces at Ferrari?

Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton tantalised Formula 1 fans ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix by talking up a potential partnership at Ferrari together. Vettel said he would be happy to welcome his World Championship rival to the Scuderia as Hamilton's Mercedes future remains uncertain.

Although Hamilton and Mercedes have insisted his future remains with the Silver Arrows, a contract that expires at the end of 2018 is yet to be replaced with a new, signed one.

Vettel is contracted to Ferrari until 2020, but team-mate Kimi Raikkonen will also be a free agent in 2019, and has been expected to be cut loose by Ferrari in recent years.

A Vettel-Hamilton partnership at Ferrari would hark back to the Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost rivalry at McLaren in the late 1980s, but the German does not expect to be lining up alongside his fellow four-time world champion any time soon.

Asked about the potential of linking up with Hamilton, Vettel said: "I don't know he hasn't asked me. I wouldn't mind.

"To be completely honest I'm very happy with relationship I have with Kimi.

"You never know what happens. I'm pretty sure Lewis' priority lies with Mercedes. Anything else would be a big surprise, but you never know.

"We'll see. Maybe one day we could both go somewhere because we're old, never say never, but for me, at the moment, it doesn't really matter. I'm very happy to be where I am for the time that everyone knows, I know and we'll see what happens."

With the question then put to Lewis about a potential drive alongside Vettel, he suggested it would be a challenge that would motivate him.

"I'm down to race with whoever," Hamilton added. "I'm racing against him in a pretty competitive car, which is always exciting.

"But I think for any driver you want to go up against the best. You've seen in history it can be difficult when there are two incredibly strong alphas in a team but you've seen it seems to work with him and Kimi... but you can honestly say Kimi can't be too happy cos some scenarios don't work out for him, it's just always difficult.

"I love racing against the best drivers, it pushes you to the limit. Racing against Fernando [Alonso], racing against Jenson [Button] and other top drivers I raced, it brings a good and bad out of you. It pushes you to the limit.

"I feel the setup I have right now in the team, Valtteri is driving well, pushing me to limit.

"I'm still getting that, but with a great harmony and respect when one driver does better than the other.

"It's not always the same when it's different characters, so it depends on character you're with. But I don't anticipate we'll be driving together in our time unless we do Le Mans together one day."