• Red Bull news

'Who deserves it most will be champion' - Vettel

Sebastian Vettel: "I still believe that the driver who deserves it most will be champion" © Sutton Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News:
• Webber excited by 'awesome' Austin
  

• Drivers:
• Fernando Alonso
• |
• Sebastian Vettel

• Teams:
• Ferrari
• |
• Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel believes he and Fernando Alonso have both suffered equal misfortune this season and that "the driver who deserves it most will be champion".

Having started the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from the pit lane, Vettel climbed through the field to third place behind Kimi Raikkonen and Alonso to ensure his championship lead was only cut by three points. Holding a ten-point advantage with two races to go means Vettel could win the title this weekend in Austin, and he said that over the course of the season he believes both himself and Alonso deserve to be champion.

"Of course the last races we had were very good for us, to put it mildly," Vettel told the official Formula One website. "They have helped us a lot. If you look at the whole season with 20 races, you do have incidences that you don't like to have, you probably have some retirements due to technical problems. We had those - and hopefully we have now passed this phase.

"It is very hard to run so many races without incidents. It is not something that is part of your calculation, but you have to be prepared when it hits you not to stand there with eyes wide open. If you look at the races we've done so far I think Fernando's and my DNF's or calamities are equal. I still believe that the driver who deserves it most will be champion. No doubt we are in a very good position now and I hope we do well until the very end to make sure that we deserve the glory."

When asked to pick out a highlight from this season, Vettel replied: "I hope it is still to come!

"Maybe the first win of the season in Bahrain was a big relief - to know that everything is still functioning the way it used to. A highlight for sure was the win in Singapore, because I consider it physically the hardest race of the season. And, of course, the Abu Dhabi race. But as I just said, I hope the best is still yet to come."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.