Vettel is ‘not afraid’ of Hamilton

Vettel bid farewell to any chance of championship success this season when he finished fourth in Mexico meaning Hamilton has an unassailable lead with two rounds remaining. It was a disappointing end to the season for the Ferrari driver, who had been leading by as much as 25 points after the Monaco Grand Prix. 

However, issues after the summer break, including a lack of pace, reliability troubles and a crash, meant he once again lost out to the Mercedes driver. Vettel has warned Hamilton that he expects a different outcome come 2018.

“Looking at the season, Lewis was the better man and that’s why he earned the title,” he said. “But next season I will do my utmost to keep Lewis from getting the fifth title. “2017 was his year, but 2018 is another story. “You never know what will happen in the future. Everything starts again from zero. “As Ferrari, we are on the right track. I firmly believe that we can be at the front in 2018. “Tomorrow you wake up and it will be a different day.” The German is already looking forward to more on-track battles against Hamilton as beating the Brit holds added weight.