Hamilton: Great level of respect for Sebastian Vettel – essentiallysports.com

Lewis Hamilton won the Chinese Grand Prix in a convincing fashion to tie with Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel on top of the standings. With the way that the two drivers have been slugging it out on the track, one would expect them to be bitter rivals. But surprisingly, Hamilton says that things between them are fairly amiable.

“I honestly think it will stay the way it is,” explained Hamilton. “Who knows, maybe we’ll have times where we are racing hard together, and of course there could be that scenario where one of us thinks something is unfair, or has been too aggressive, whatever it may be.”But we’re grown men, we’ve come a long way, and we’ve experienced a lot. The respect for one another is the highest that I have felt from another driver, especially of his calibre. It’s amazing sportsmanship: when you win you enjoy it, and you also acknowledge the person next door. And even when you lose it’s the same thing. We’re both doing that, and that’s a great place to be. Naturally he wants to kill me out there and beat me, and vice versa, but then outside the car the admiration for the other’s achievements and the way that they drive [is there too]. As I said, he’s performing at his best, he is rapid out there, so when I’m able to get ahead, it only compliments you, and vice versa.” said Hamilton

Hamilton is relishing the idea of challenging a Ferrari with Vettel behind the wheel. When asked about the feeling of satisfaction after winning a straight fight with a driver from another team, he said “It really, really does, it really does, particularly when you’re fighting another team. He also said that he wished that the championship battle would not be influenced by outside factors, reflecting on the few mechanical issues that he suffered last year to hand Nico Rosberg the championship.

“I really really hope it’s just an out and out fight through stubbornness, through mental stability, through fitness, through composure and all those things. And at times, through just out driving the person on track, you know. From a driver’s side, winning a championship, that’s the ultimate challenge. When other things start playing bigger roles, whether it is safety cars or whether it is mechanical things… that takes away that excitement of what racing’s about.”