Motor Sport:Sebastian Vettel is convinced the ever-changing title landscape in Formula One means he is still in with a shot of taking the crown. Vettel suffered cruel luck in the Korean Grand Prix on Sunday when his engine blew nine laps from home and with victory in sight.
Instead of leading the championship for what would have been the first time this year, Vettel now finds himself 25 points down on Fernando Alonso who has won four of the last seven grands prix.
With just the races in Brazil and Abu Dhabi to come, Vettel’s knows his hopes of becoming world champion are slim, but the 23-year-old is far from despondent.
“I am the last person to give up,” said Vettel. “My chances? They are how they are. I cannot change anything. Of course, it is even harder and more interesting to try to go for the title, but as long as I have a tiny chance...
“We still have two races to go, and we all saw in Korea how quickly things can change. The race for the title is not over yet so let’s wait to see what the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi brings.”
The engine failure was a particularly bitter pill for Vettel to swallow, adding to Red Bull Racing’s pain after Mark Webber had crashed out earlier in the race. Unlike Webber, who was a victim of his own mistake, Vettel at least had nothing to reproach himself for.
“It was such a hard moment,” added 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, 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.”