Massa: Vettel 'more guilty' than Ferrari for title loss

Former Ferrari stalwart Felipe Massa believes Sebastian Vettel's 2018 title hopes were squandered by the German's mistakes rather than by his team's mishaps.

Ferrari and Vettel looked like a strong entity in the first half of the season, capable of finally putting an end to Mercedes and Hamilton's hegemony.

But a string of errors by Vettel coupled with several tactical missteps by the Scuderia allowed Hamilton to leave the pair in the Mercedes's dust, and ultimately conquer a fifth world title with two races to spare.

• De la Rosa says Ferrari 'failed to protect' Vettel

Massa, who came ever so close to winning the world championship with the House of Maranello ten years ago in Brazil, blames Vettel rather than his former team for this year's painful loss.

"Vettel and Ferrari lost an opportunity this year, but I think Sebastian is more guilty than the team," said the Brazilian, speaking on Globo's Bem, Amigos!

"Germany was especially painful, where Vettel could have won, but lost the full 25 points.

"But there were also errors in qualifying, wrong strategies, unnecessary contact with Bottas in France. I think Vettel made more mistakes than Ferrari."

Massa also underlined Hamilton's qualities, saying they are the hallmark of a "complete champion".

"He already has the most poles in history and is close to the victories record," he added.

"He is 33 years old and seems to be an obvious favourite in the fight for the title next season. He has the opportunity to break all records."

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