Vettel admits fall-out last year but doesn't think 2018 battle will have negative impact; Hamilton expects "rapid" Ferrari in Bahrain
Thursday 13 December 2018 14:29, UK
Sebastian Vettel insists he and Lewis Hamilton have only fallen out once before and sees no reason why the pair should not get along during an F1 2018 title battle.
The Ferrari driver won the season-opening Australian GP ahead of Hamilton, his victory coming a day after the Englishman told him he wanted to "wipe the smile off your face" with pole position in qualifying.
After an intense championship fight last year which was littered with on and off-track clashes, most notably in Baku, Hamilton's comments seemed to suggest there was no love lost between the two.
But while Vettel admitted that their relationship soured at "a point" in 2017, he claimed the two four-time world champions "don't have a problem with each other".
Referencing the comments made by Hamilton in Saturday's press conference, Vettel said: "He said he was joking and I believe him."
The Ferrari driver added: "I think we are old enough, I don't think we need to go on that sort of level.
"It's fine as long as we joke with each other and I think even if we are very different persons, I think we share - all of us - a common passion and that makes us quite equal again.
"We love racing and we try to do our best, once we're in the car and beat all the others.
"I think in that regard, I don't see why we shouldn't get on with each other."
Hamilton wary of 'rapid' Ferrari
Vettel made it two straight wins in Melbourne last weekend but has already stated he "lacks confidence" in his Ferrari car, while he also believes the victory has sugar-coated the start of 2018 for the team.
"At the moment we're a bit worse off," said Vettel, who gained around 15 seconds on Hamilton by pitting under the Virtual Safety Car at Albert Park. "Last year we had more pace at this point."
Vettel may not be confident but next up is the Bahrain GP, a race he and Ferrari were victorious at in 2017, and Hamilton is expecting another close battle.
"Their performance is better than it looked," said the reigning world champion. "Ferrari are going to be quick on the straights.
"They are going to be rapid at the next race, they are going to be good in Bahrain. They are always good on hot circuits - even though it is a night race it is tough on the tyres."
