The two teams considered as Sebastian Vettel's most viable options for 2021 appear to have ruled out signing the German.

This week, speculation has claimed Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz wants to bring the four-time world champion "home" next season, following his surprising departure from Ferrari.

Vettel himself then admitted he would "probably" accept an offer by the team if one was made but now, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has tried to put the story to bed.

“Obviously the topic has been raised. We had a brilliant time with Seb and he’ll forever be a part of our history,” he began, speaking to Sky Sports.

“We didn’t expect him to be on the market this year and our commitment is to our existing drivers, we think we’ve got a great pairing in Max and in Alex [Albon]. We think that has great potential for the future as well.

“Unfortunately, it (signing Vettel) is not something that we’re going to able to accommodate."

Asked then if that was a definite no, Horner replied: “That is a definite no, I’m afraid.

“Sebastian I think is aware of that - well, he is aware of that.”

With a reunion with his former team off the table then, that only leaves Racing Point as the only apparently viable option, as the Silverstone-based outfit prepares to become Aston Martin in 2021.

“It is flattering that everyone thinks a four-time world champion should come to our team, but maybe that’s because the car is a bit quicker now,” said CEO Otmar Szafnauer.

“But we have long contracts with both of our drivers, so it would only be logical that we don’t have space.”

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Should neither team change their mind, it would appear then that Vettel will find himself off the F1 grid for the first time since 2006 next year.

And that, according to Lewis Hamilton, would be a "shame".

“If Seb was to stop before his time I think that’d be a shame, I think he’s got a lot more to give to the sport and a lot more to achieve," he said on Thursday.

"Once again it’s about making sure we have as many top drivers as possible. We want to keep the world champions. Seb is a world champion and Fernando [Alonso] is a world champion so I think that’s only good for the sport.”

Of course this week Alonso signed a two-year deal to return to F1 with Renault from next year, the same team where he won his two world titles.