Vettel says he still has opportunity to close gap with Hamilton

Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel on Thursday said the remaining races and his powerful Ferrari were enough to close the gap between him and his rival Lewis Hamilton.

For much of the current season, Vettel had topped the drivers' standings, but the Mercedes' racer bounced back to clinch the top spot, 28 points ahead of the German driver with six races to go, reports Efe news agency.

"I think we have a lot of races left. I think we have a strong car," Vettel said at a press conference ahead of Malaysia Grand Prix scheduled this weekend.

"I'm not too fussed about the amount of points. Obviously it's never good to be behind, I'd like to be in front but we're not so I'm not thinking about that," he added.

The four-time champion, however, lamented an accident early in the Singapore Grand Prix that forced him to abandon the race, alongside team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and Dutch Max Verstappen (Red Bull).

"I don't think there's much assessment necessary. Obviously on Sunday all three of us were unhappy, but you move on," he said.

--IANS

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