The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Hamilton’s dominance fails to faze rival Vettel
FORMULA 1: Ferrari driver insists he has not kept count of Briton’s number of wins
Sebastian Vettel insists he will not spoil his Japanese Grand Prix weekend by reflecting on rival Lewis Hamilton’s dominant streak.
Ferrari driver Vettel trails Hamilton by 50 championship points with just 125 remaining after the Briton’s impressive run of five victories at the last six rounds.
Vettel has triumphed just once since Silverstone in July, and is now relying on an implosion from Hamilton.
But speaking ahead of the race here in Suzuka on Sunday, Vettel said: “I didn’t know that Hamilton had beaten me in five out of six races, so now I know, the secret as before has been not to count.
“I love this track so I had better enjoy it, and not spoil it by starting to count the things that are against me and focus on the things that work instead.”
Ferrari have enjoyed superior machinery over Mercedes for much of the campaign, but the Italians were a distant second to their rivals in Russia last weekend.
And Hamilton’s Mercedes team, have not been beaten at Suzuka since 2013.
Vettel said: “Within a week you can’t do too many things differently to the car, so we hope that the track suits us a bit better than it did in Sochi.”
Mercedes have told Valtteri Bottas that they will carry on using team orders until Hamilton secures the title.
Hamilton won in Russia last Sunday to extend his title lead over Vettel to 50 points after Bottas was instructed to move aside for his team-mate.
The controversial decision caused uproar among some of the sport’s fans, while Bottas, and for that matter Hamilton – who admitted it was the hollowest victory of his career –were left uncomfortable by the order.
“It could definitely happen again,” Bottas, 117 points adrift of Hamilton, said. “I will be supporting Lewis. I just need to accept it and it is the situation.
“I am a team player and I am willing to help. It is what I do, and when it is time, and I am allowed to win, I will do it.
“But it doesn’t mean that I am not a racer and I don’t want to win. Winning is everything, but that time will come later.”
Reflecting on last Sunday, Hamilton said: “It was super-uncomfortable on the podium, and I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to be up there, and it didn’t feel right standing on the top step.”
The 33-year-old Englishman arrives at a track that he has dominated in recent years, winning three of the last four races.
While Hamilton is set to be aided by Bottas for the remainder of the season, it is more than plausible that he will not have to rely on the Finn, having spent much of the season comfortably clear of his team-mate.
Indeed, Bottas’s pole marked the first time he had out-qualified Hamilton on merit in six races. The British driver has also won eight times this year. Bottas is yet to get off the mark.
“I don’t arrive here thinking that Valtteri has to work for me,” he added. “I have given my hardest throughout the year, and conducted myself in the right way. This has been the best-performing season so far in my career.”