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Mercedes denies interest in Vettel

ESPNF1 Staff
January 11, 2011 « Mosley fights for tougher privacy laws | »
Norbert Haug has denied he approached Sebastian Vettel about a move to Mercedes © Press Association
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Norbert Haug has denied Helmut Marko's claim that Mercedes is making a move to sign Sebastian Vettel for 2012.

After Marko this week said Ferrari is pushing hard to poach Red Bull staff, the Austrian has now told Kleine Zeitung that Mercedes is keen to snatch away his team's reigning world champion.

Asked by the newspaper who other than Ferrari is interested in the 23-year-old, Marko answered: "Mercedes for sure. Knowing that Sebastian has a contract with us, Mercedes expresses quite an interest in him."

Marko confirmed that Vettel's contract expires at the end of the year but includes an option for 2012. "For the time after [2011], we are already talking," he revealed.

But when asked about Marko's comments, Mercedes' motor sport vice president Haug said his team has "not made Sebastian Vettel an offer".

"We have exactly the drivers we wanted in Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg," he told the German press agency DPA.

Haug admitted it is "no secret" he has a good personal relationship with Vettel but said it is "absolutely wrong" to make any assumptions because of that.

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