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Nico Rosberg is likely to be made to wait by Mercedes before finding out if his future with the team will extend beyond the 2016 Formula 1 season.

In July 2014 Rosberg signed a contract extension with Mercedes that expires at the end of next season.

Through his five years with the team Rosberg has scored 14 wins and 22 pole positions, but he has had to settle for second best in the championship to team-mate Lewis Hamilton over the past two years.

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has also recently made clear to Hamilton and Rosberg that if their antipathy towards one another affects the team in any way then he may have to reconsider his driver line-up.

IAN PARKES: Has Wolff seen more trouble brewing?

Asked about Rosberg's future, Wolff told Autosport: "The line-up is a great line-up.

"Both of them are a major part of the team and responsible for getting the team to where we are today.

"But it's early days to discuss that [Rosberg's contract]. I want to see how the season pans out.

"There are areas we want to develop altogether as a team, and let's see how that goes."

It was in May this year Hamilton agreed a new three-year contract with Mercedes, through to the end of 2018.

Asked whether a new deal for Rosberg could be done as quickly into next year, Wolff said: "I don't know yet."

Speaking at the Autosport Awards in early December, Wolff accepted that Hamilton and Rosberg do not need to be friends, but he does not want their rivalry to get out of hand.

"It's very important to keep the spirit within the team, and the competition between Nico and Lewis has been very fierce, very competitive at times," he said.

"It's understandable because they are fighting in a car that is capable of winning the championship against each other.

"The guy in the other car cannot be your friend, but we need to be careful that it doesn't spill over on both sides of the garage.

"We've seen teams in the past where there is a competition being created that is not good for the dynamics within the team."