 Vettel remains upbeat despite having missed out on a likely victory in Korea
Sebastian Vettel is not giving up his dream of being world champion despite trailing leader Fernando Alonso by 25 points with only two races remaining. Vettel and Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber failed to finish the most recent race in Korea, which was won by Alonso. But Vettel said: "I'm the last person to give up - we saw in Korea how quickly things can change." Webber is 14 points ahead of Vettel but team boss Christian Horner said neither driver will be favoured in the run-in. Looking towards the Brazilian Grand Prix on 7 November, Horner told the team's official website: "We have two fantastic drivers and we will continue to support both equally in line with Red Bull's credible sporting ethos. "As we saw in Korea it is impossible to predict what will happen with five drivers being so closely in contention. "Ultimately, as we now approach the end of the championship, the mathematics will speak for themselves. "I'm certain both drivers will do everything possible to achieve the best result for the team." Webber, who sits 11 points behind Alonso, had already crashed out before Vettel's misfortune in Korea. With nine laps remaining Vettel was in the lead and looking on course for a win, which would have given him the lead in the drivers' championship for the first time this season.  | 606: DEBATE |
But an engine failure brought his race to an abrupt halt and handed the initiative in the title race to the grateful Ferrari driver, leaving Vettel fourth in the standings behind Alonso, Webber and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton. "It was such a hard moment," stated Vettel. "With Mark's crash it was hard for us as a team but when I look at myself I know the reason for the failure was not my fault, it was nothing to do with my performance or speed. "At the time there was no sign of the engine defect. In turn 17 I suddenly lost a row of cylinders and had strong vibrations. Only half the engine was working. "I could then count down to the moment when the engine would break. It would have been the last race for that engine anyway. "We still have engines with little mileage, so at least I'll be fine for the remaining two races." The remaining races this season are in Brazil (7 November) and Abu Dhabi (14 November).
|
Bookmark with:
What are these?