Daniel Ricciardo has put talks over a new contract at Red Bull on hold until the situation with Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes is resolved, according to Dr Helmut Marko, who is a top official at Red Bull.

Ricciardo's contract with Red Bull Racing is up at the end of the season, but negotiations have been slow and speculation about his future rife.

Australian Ricciardo is a sought after commodity at the moment with both Mercedes and Ferrari reportedly monitoring his situation, this latest twist in the tale with have undoubtedly put both teams on high alert.

The latest statement on Ricciardo's future are not speculative either, having come from Dr Helmut Marko - a top official at Red Bull.

He said, via Wheels24: "Ricciardo doesn't want to sign until Hamilton has signed. It's a bit strange. Hopefully it ends soon."

Whether Ricciardo sees his future elsewhere or whether he is waiting to be in a stronger negotiating position with his current team remains unclear.

Hamilton's own position at Mercedes is tentative, with contract talks rumbling on seemingly without end among rumours of 'grotesque' amounts of money being involved.

Red Bull will undoubtedly want to keep their man who is showing good form after a victory in Monaco that catapulted both the driver and the constructor into third place in their respective championships.

Victory in Monaco was hard fought for Ricciardo after engine problems blighted his race, and this will have a knock-on effect in Canada as a grid penalty will be imposed for the team using too many parts during the repair.

One person who remains sure among this multi-team contract saga is Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda who, in typically blunt style, stated:  "Lewis is staying with us. It (the contract delay) is only about little things like promotion. 

"We have not made him (Ricciardo) an offer. So he can wait forever,"