Vettel crushed as title slips away

Sebastian Vettel said that seeing the 2018 Formula 1 world drivers' championship slip through his fingers at the Mexican Grand Prix remained a "horrible moment", despite the inevitability of Lewis Hamilton taking out a fifth world title at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Hamilton needed just a top-seven finish to seal a coronation in Mexico City and duly came home fourth after a race that he too described as "horrible".

There was plenty of contrast once both rivals had crossed the finish line, however, with Hamilton's late-season surge leaving Vettel to reflect on a season that Ferrari have not extracted the full potential of a car that has been the quickest at several races this season without winning.

"It's a horrible moment," Vettel said. "I get your point that you saw it coming, I did pay attention in maths so I could make the numbers, but still you hang in there as long as you can.

Congratulations to @LewisHamilton on winning the 2018 Drivers World Championship! However, the Constructors’ trophy is still open and we’re determined to take the fight to the end #Nevergiveup — Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) October 28, 2018

" I've had three times now in my life that [I suffered] that sort of disappointment - one day where you realise that you can't win the championship any more.

"Those are not happy days, so you reflect on not one moment but the whole year – the work that goes in, the effort that goes in from the beginning, or end of last year, until now.

"I think we had our chances. We used most of them, maybe some we did not, but in the end we were not good enough."

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