• Japanese Grand Prix

Vettel refusing to assume title

Sebastian Vettel needs just one point to become a double world champion © Sutton Images

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• Race:
• Japanese Grand Prix

• Championship:
• FIA Formula One World Championship

• Drivers:
• Sebastian Vettel

• Teams:
• Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel says that he still won't accept the World Championship is his while Jenson Button has a mathematical chance of winning the title.

Vettel needs only one point from the remaining five races to secure back-to-back championships, but even if he was not to finish a race from now until the end of the season Button would have to win all five. Despite his position, Vettel says he will be going all out for the maximum possible result rather than taking a conservative approach.

"Obviously there's still a chance for Jenson to win the title and for me not to win the title," Vettel said. "As I said, even if it's only one point - I said it straight after Singapore - we tried all year and we always try to keep our feet on the ground and approach this race by race, and try to do the best. The moment you decide to fly, sooner or later there's a moment when you will come down as well. You have to, nothing flies forever.

"I think it would be wrong to think like that at this stage and as I said, the target going into this weekend is not to get one point, in a way it's not to win the championship, the target is to do our best. If our best, for some reason, is tenth, then we try to get a tenth but if our best is possibly to win the race then we have to go for it and try to win the race."

Vettel also said that winning the title without racing to win would be a somewhat hollow victory.

"We want to do it in the right way, so I think if you have the ability, the package overall, to do well around here, you have to enjoy it and you have to make sure that if the chance is there to finish on the podium you finish on the podium. Yes, there would be reason to celebrate, even if we finish tenth, but it wouldn't be the same so we try to race as usual and we try to get the best out of ourselves."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.