Auto Racing: I should have done better, says Vettel

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – Sebastian Vettel said he and Ferrari made mistakes this season, but declined to say when his hopes of winning a fifth Formula 1 title came to an end.

The German is 67 points behind rival Mercedes Hamilton, who can instead become five-time Texas champion on Sunday.

The Briton has won six of the last seven races and is pursuing a fifth straight.

Asked at the US Grand Prix to find out if he accepted Mercedes who had done a better job than Ferrari, Vettel was clear: "Until now, yes. It's pretty obvious. Just look at the points.

"I should have done better. If you want to name one (race), then Hockenheim, "he added.

"We should have done better, but overall we did not have enough races. We had enough speed to dominate the weekend, place the car on pole and finish first. "

Vettel, winner of five races up here this year, he led his German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, before skidding on a wet track and entering the gates. Hamilton continued to win.

The first German retreat of the year costs him the championship lead at a crucial time, but he questions his importance.

"I do not believe in that. the stars have been misaligned and all that. I do not think so, "he said.

Hamilton will be champion when he scores eight points more than Vettel, as he has done in the last four races, Mercedes now chasing the hat trick.

"I do not think it's really useful to start thinking too much about what happened," Vettel said of the situation.

"I think we always have something to change and that's what we are looking for."

Asked about his approach for the weekend, which promises to be cold and wet, Vettel responded in the affirmative. simple.

"We have a few points behind, we focus on winning and then we see what others are doing, so it's very simple to be honest," he said.

"In general, I always try to win, so I think that you have to be aggressive to win. And of course, you have to find the right balance so you never try to make a fool of yourself or finish, because you can not win, he said.

"I know what it takes, I know what to do … but we know that we probably need to take a little more risk here or there, because we are not in a position to manage the risk. In the championship,

Vettel said that the previous race in Japan had helped Ferrari better understand their car and hoped that Austin could see a return to form.

Hamilton won five of six races on the Circuit of the Americas. Vettel is the only other driver to have triumphed here – with Red Bull in 2013.