Vettel hopes Verstappen has stronger F1 package to fight Hamilton than he had
Sebastian Vettel hopes Max Verstappen will have ‘a better car or better position’ to contest the 2021 Formula 1 title against Lewis Hamilton than he did during their championship battles.
Following Nico Rosberg’s shock retirement, Vettel led a resurgent Ferrari to become Hamilton's closest challenger in the 2017 and 2018 campaigns.
Hamilton and Mercedes proved triumphant in both years, before the performances of both Vettel and Ferrari dipped across 2019 and 2020, allowing Hamilton to cruise to his sixth and seventh world titles.
The Briton has faced his strongest challenge since Vettel's Ferrari zenith from Verstappen and Red Bull this year, with the Dutchman currently leading the standings by six points with six grands prix remaining.
Speaking prior to this weekend's United States Grand Prix, Vettel said he has enjoyed the battle between the two title protagonists this season, but hopes that Verstappen can keep the fight going over the final rounds after he and Ferrari proved unable to keep up with the intensity shown by Hamilton/Mercedes during their closing stages of their title fights.
“I hope that Max has a better car at the end, or better position to be in at the very end, because the fights that I was [in] with Lewis, unfortunately, we were not as competitive to really give him a hard time in the end,” the four-time world champion said.
“So I think it was quite clear and fairly easy for him to win the championship in the end.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 2nd position, is sprayed with Champagne by Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1st position, on the podium
Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
Aston Martin driver Vettel also wants the pair to maintain a healthy rivalry over the final part of the F1 season having suffered two major clashes so far this season at Silverstone and Monza.
“I think rivalry is good for any sport,” he said. “But I'm a huge fan of rivalry with respect. And I think we're seeing a very clean fight so far.”
The German is set to start the US Grand Prix from the back of the grid due to a power unit change, and predicted a “difficult weekend” at the Circuit of the Americas on Thursday.
Related video
Bottas unaware of possible Andretti F1 buyout during Alfa Romeo talks
Can Whitmarsh appointment help Aston succeed where its F1 rivals failed?
Why Piastri's attempt to join McLaren carries implications of risk
After the 2006 Formula 1 British GP, Lewis Hamilton's father Anthony was a frustrated man, despite his son - at the time a star in GP2 - having just scored a memorable double win in that weekend's feature and sprint events.
Alpine: Ocon has what it takes to lead the F1 team in 2023
Alpine Formula 1 boss Otmar Szafnauer believes that Esteban Ocon has what it takes to lead the team following Fernando Alonso’s departure at the end of this season.
McLaren explains gaps between F1 qualifying and race pace
McLaren Formula 1 team boss Andreas Seidl has explained that being able to mask the car's lack of downforce in qualifying is behind the large discrepancy to its race pace.
Perez: DNFs have been "killing" my F1 season so far
Sergio Perez still believes “everything is open” in the Formula 1 title battles after the summer break despite some DNFs “killing” his season so far.
Why few could blame Leclerc for following the example of Hamilton’s exit bombshell
OPINION: Ferrari's numerous strategy blunders, as well as some of his own mistakes, have cost Charles Leclerc dearly in the 2022 Formula 1 title battle in the first half of the season. Though he is locked into a deal with Ferrari, few could blame Leclerc if he ultimately wanted to look elsewhere - just as Lewis Hamilton did with McLaren 10 years prior
The other McLaren exile hoping to follow Perez's path to a top F1 seat
After being ditched by McLaren earlier in his F1 career Sergio Perez fought his way back into a seat with a leading team. BEN EDWARDS thinks the same could be happening to another member of the current grid
How studying Schumacher helped make Coulthard a McLaren F1 mainstay
Winner of 13 grands prix including Monaco and survivor of a life-changing plane crash, David Coulthard could be forgiven for having eased into a quiet retirement – but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, in fact he’s busier than ever, running an award-winning media company and championing diversity in motor racing. Not bad for someone who, by his own admission, wasn’t quite the fastest driver of his generation…
Could F1 move to a future beyond carbonfibre?
Formula 1 has ambitious goals for improving its carbon footprint, but could this include banishing its favoured composite material? PAT SYMONDS considers the alternatives to carbonfibre and what use, if any, those materials have in a Formula 1 setting
How Russell has proven he deserves to be Hamilton's Mercedes heir
He’s fast, he’s smart, and he’s already shown he’s not going to let Max Verstappen intimidate him. George Russell won’t say it, but LUKE SMITH says he’s ready to take the lead at Mercedes when Lewis Hamilton moves on to a quieter life. And – whisper it – Mercedes and Lewis are starting to think so too
The traits that fuelled Alonso's unexpected Aston Martin move
Fernando Alonso’s bombshell switch to Aston Martin sent shockwaves through Formula 1, not least at Alpine that finds itself tangled in a contract standoff with Oscar Piastri. Not shy of a bold career move and with a CV punctuated by them, there were numerous hints that trouble was brewing
The elements Ferrari must resolve to first save face, then win championships
OPINION: Ferrari's Formula 1 title hopes look all but over after another strategic blunder in last week's Hungarian Grand Prix denied Charles Leclerc the chance to fight for victory, while handing it to chief rival Max Verstappen. The Scuderia now faces intense scrutiny over what it must now do to finally become a genuine factor in championship battles
The clues about Hamilton’s F1 retirement plans revealed after Vettel’s decision
OPINION: Sebastian Vettel is set to leave Formula 1 at the end of 2022 and will, rather shockingly, be replaced by Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin. But what about the final chapter of the other driver that defined the post-Michael Schumacher era? In Hungary, Lewis Hamilton spoke about his future in the context of Vettel’s upcoming departure, which offered clues on how long it will last