Niki Lauda has played down mounting speculation that he is in pole position to succeed Bernie Ecclestone.
It is claimed that Ferrari's Sergio Marchionne, backed by Mercedes chief Toto Wolff, is advocating that a group of three should take over from the 85-year-old Formula 1 supremo.
"When I think about the sporting side, then for me Niki Lauda is one of the hottest candidates," Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko told Tiroler Tageszeitung newspaper.
F1 legend and Mercedes team chairman Lauda, however, is not racing away with the job.
"If some people here believe that it is easy to replace [Ecclestone], they are mistaken," the 67-year-old former triple world champion told Auto Motor und Sport.
"Bernie still has 15% of the business and only he was able to get our engine parts through customs that fast in Russia."
Next up on the calendar is the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday.
