Ferrari tied four-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel down to a three-year contract extension on Saturday.

Vettel was due to become a free agent at the end of the season and had been linked to Mercedes, but having returned to the top of the drivers' standings in a highly competitive Ferrari he has decided to stay put.

The German putting pen to paper signals his belief he can rediscover the form that led him to four successive championship wins with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013.

While he is yet to hit those heights with Ferrari, we look back at a selection of his top moments with the iconic Italian squad.

MALAYSIA MARKER

After Mercedes asserted themselves as the dominant force in F1 in Vettel's stead, the German left Red Bull to replace Fernando Alonso at the Scuderia for the 2015 season. He made a rapid and unexpected impact, claiming his 40th race victory in just the second grand prix of the campaign in Malaysia. It was the first time Ferrari had a driver on the top step of the podium since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix.

LOVE IN MONZA

Few things in F1 are as special as representing Ferrari at Monza in front of the tifosi and the pressure was on Vettel to deliver when he donned the famous red in Italy for the first time. Lewis Hamilton managed to keep Vettel at bay in the opening chicane and did not surrender his lead from there, and the German had to hold off the charge of compatriot Nico Rosberg, who ended up failing to finish due to engine issues.

It was not a victory, but the result undoubtedly left Vettel overjoyed. He told the official F1 website: "It was the best second place I have ever had! We all know how fantastically crazy Monza can be. It is just unbelievable how much support Ferrari gets here. It makes you feel like you have some kind of super powers."

SINGAPORE SUPREMACY

Vettel followed the elation of a strong result at Monza by claiming his first pole for Ferrari at the Singapore Grand Prix. The German then took his third win of the year – having triumphed at Hungary, too – in dominant fashion, leading from start to finish as Hamilton retired and two safety cars caused chaotic scenes further back in the field. It was the 42nd time Vettel had topped the podium in his F1 career, taking him past the legendary Ayrton Senna and up to third on the all-time list.

END OF MONACO HOODOO

Monaco is arguably F1's most iconic race, but it had proved a barren hunting ground for Ferrari after Michael Schumacher's victory in 2001. Vettel put an end to that, becoming the Italian squad's first winner in the principality in 16 years when he crossed the line first in 2017.

After qualifying second behind team-mate Raikkonen, Vettel's superior strategy saw him take the lead midway through the race and hold on for his third win of the season. With Hamilton only finishing seventh, the German opened up a 25-point lead in the drivers' standings with his sixth successive podium, putting a shoddy 2016 well and truly behind him.