Vettel 'not fussed' about points deficit to Hamilton

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Sebastian Vettel believes his chances of securing a fifth title this season remain intact despite the current gap with arch-rival Lewis Hamilton.

The Ferrari driver paid a heavy price for his defensive maneuver at the start of the Singapore Grand prix two weeks ago.

The three-way crash with team mate Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull's Max Verstappen led to a his current 28-point deficit in the title fight, but the German driver isn't losing hope.

"I think there are still a lot of races left," he said on Thusday in Sepang.

"We have a strong car. I'm not too fussed about amount of points.

"I believe we have a strong package and we are full of confidence. Even if the results were missing in the last three races and we lost the lead, I still have hope.

"Why? Because the car is fast. And because we still have a few things planned. Whether it all works -- let's see. But I believe in us," he added.

"Overall it doesn't change anything for how we tackle the last six races."

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Vettel also said he was unmoved by the strong criticism of his driving which emerged after Singapore, particularly by the partisan Italian media.

"I can live with that," Vettel insisted.

"It's always easy to form opinions from the outside -- in this case about something that took five seconds to happen.

"I think it would have been more difficult if I had lost the car somewhere in the race, then it's obviously different," he said.

"With a collision at the start like that, I think we all three… after the race, we had to face the stewards.

"What can you do? The lights went off, we did our start, everyone was trying to do his start, and with the way it happened it ended up really bad for all of us.

"There's not much you can do. I think it's part of racing. It's not the first time I'm in the situation like this and probably will not be the last time – I'm not hoping for it to happen again!

"There's not much point trying to look again and again. Your time and energy is more well spent looking forward."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.