Vettel sees ‘no reason not to believe’ in 2019 F1 title

Sebastian Vettel insists he has no reason “not to believe” he can still win the 2019 Formula 1 world championship, despite his large deficit to Lewis Hamilton.

The Ferrari driver is currently fourth in the championship and finds himself 74 points behind current points leader Hamilton, who has already won six of the opening nine races this season.

Vettel and Ferrari remain winless heading into this weekend’s British Grand Prix, though the German is refusing to completely give up on this year’s crown.

“I don’t think I have a reason not to believe but it’s not the number one thought when I go to bed,” Vettel said.

“I’m looking forward to this race and then the next. We have a lot of stuff on our list, a lot of work ahead of us and time will tell.

“The next races before the summer break are very crucial but in order to turn things around we need to have a stronger package overall, otherwise it’s not enough to challenge for victory.

“I think we need to have a package strong enough to demand the victory.”

Asked how many of the upcoming three races prior to the summer break he feels are winnable for Ferrari, Vettel replied: “I don’t know, three. Could be. Could be none - we have to see how it goes.

“The main objective is to try and ensure we get the car in the right window and we put the right pieces on the car to make the right step forward and we have less of these swings, mostly the lows. The highs I don’t mind and that’s what we focus on.”