Korean GP: Sebastian Vettel is trying not to think about title
- Published
Sebastian Vettel said he is "trying not to think about" the fact he can win his fourth world title in Japan next week.
The Red Bull driver will be champion if he wins at Suzuka and rival Fernando Alonso of Ferrari is lower than eighth.
Vettel said: "To be honest, I don't really care. I look forward to Japan because it's one of the nicest tracks.
"There are a lot of points to get, even though it looks very good for us. There's still a chance for Fernando, so we have to stay on top of our game."
After his dominant victory in Korea on Sunday, Vettel is 77 points ahead of Alonso - who finished sixth in Korea - with a maximum of 125 available from the remaining five races.
It is more likely Vettel will win the title in either India or Abu Dhabi, the two races after Japan, as Alonso has finished as low as eighth only once this season when he has made it to the end of a race, and that was when his car had a reliability problem in Bahrain.
Alonso said: "The championship is a low priority at the moment. It doesn't look so good, not only because of points but more the performance gap that is stopping us thinking about the championship. We will not give up, [but] second in the constructors' championship is more realistic."
Suzuka in Japan is Vettel's favourite track, but he said he did not mind where he won the title.
"To be honest, I don't think it really matters," he said. "I think it's an exceptional situation anyway. Even though it looks very good, it's still not over so we shouldn't feel too comfortable.
"Which track? It's not really important. Sure, there are a couple of tracks that probably mean a little bit more to the drivers than others.
"I think generally there's no track on the calendar that I dislike but there are a couple of highlights.
"I think I mentioned on the podium next week, Japan, is one of the highlights in the year, but regarding the championship I think our target is to win the championship and not to win it in one place in particular."
He added: "We're just having a good time. We enjoy the fact that the team is working very well. The car is working... it's on the edge to be honest, more so than you would probably think from the outside but it's obviously nice when you get the results like Singapore or this weekend."
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner admitted Red Bull would have to "try quite hard to screw it up", but insisted the team were "not focusing" on the fact they were on the verge of a fourth drivers' and constructors' double.
- Published6 October 2013
- Published6 October 2013
- Published6 October 2013
- Published5 October 2013
- Published5 October 2013
- Published5 October 2013
- Published5 October 2013
- Published5 October 2013
- Published4 October 2013