Sebastian Vettel backs that Lewis Hamilton’s success not only down to the car

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel has backed his rival Lewis Hamilton’s success over the past years not only being down to having the strongest car but a combination of his talent as well.

The Mercedes driver is on track to secure a sixth drivers’ championship after he moved into a hefty lead of the standings in the first part of the season and since Ferrari’s resurgence the past few races still boasts a 64-point lead over teammate Valtteri Bottas.
 
Dominance started from the Silver Arrows with the introduction of the hybrid in 2014, where they produced the fastest car for three consecutive seasons.
 
Vettel and Ferrari challenged Mercedes in 2017 and 2018 but mistakes from the German and Hamilton’s consistency lead to the Brit walking away with his fourth and fifth World Championship.
 
"He does,” Vettel said when asked if Hamilton deserved his titles (quoted by GPToday.net).
 
“I think obviously Mercedes has had the best car over the last couple of years and I think there are other drivers who have had a good chance at winning, a championship, the championship, whichever you talk about.
 
"But it's more than that, it's the combination of that.
 
“As much as I didn't enjoy the years he was winning, especially when we were fighting, not so much towards the end as I would have loved to, you have to appreciate the fact that it's the combination."
 
The German also feels the success of both Hamilton and Mercedes in the past five years has made them a team that are “very difficult to beat” due to their lack of mistakes.
 
"It's not just Lewis, it's not just Mercedes, it's the combination too that has got to a point where they are very, very difficult to beat, very consistent and very little errors," Vettel added.
 
"So credit to him, credit to the team. I don't think you can separate the two, it's only fair to mention the two of them."