Sebastian Vettel: “Red Bull heads to Hungary as favourite, but our fight is with Mercedes”. Sebastian suffered a blow in the Formula 1 title race last weekend.

Sebastian Vettel suffered a blow in the Formula 1 title race last weekend but has an immediate chance to respond against rival Lewis Hamilton on Sunday. Momentum has ebbed and flowed in the Formula One world championship this season and going into Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the pressure is again on Sebastian Vettel. The Scuderia Ferrari German driver has been widely criticised in Italian media this week for the error which cost a near certain victory at the German GP last weekend and with a 17-point deficit to Lewis Hamilton going into Sunday, there is little room for another slip.

“I don’t need pity. It was my fault,” he said of sliding off the wet Hockenheim track within sight of a home victory which eventually went to Hamilton – “When everything goes well you are cheered, and if you make mistakes you are criticised. So I don’t care much about what people say. I have to be at peace with myself.”

Being at peace is needed in the tight title battle. Hamilton, of Mercedes, has already shown last year that he is able to capitalise on Ferrari’s errors. The previous campaign looked set to go to the wire with Sebastian Vettel well positioned after winning Hungary but the German crashed from pole in Singapore to turn a likely title lead into a large deficit he never recovered.

That Singapore street circuit was crucial to Sebastian Vettel’s hopes as it was recognised his Ferrari took slow, tight corners better than Hamilton’s Mercedes – something that still holds true and applies to the Hungaroring this weekend. If Seb beats Hamilton to cut the gap, it will be game on with nine races left. But if Hamilton can expand his lead to 20-plus points, he will be in pole position for a fifth title. This time Red Bull could also feature in the hunt alongside the big two with Daniel Ricciardo returning to the seen of his 2014 triumph, as Sebastian Vettel is well aware of: “Hungary will see another tough fight with both Mercedes and Red Bull. It’s a high down force track and on paper Red Bull should be very fast in Budapest, just like they were in Monaco. I think they are the favourites for this race, but we had a strong car on every circuit and I’m sure we’ll be able to challenge Mercedes and do our best to win. I like racing here, it’s fast, it’s normally really hot and even though it’s a tight circuit there is always a bit going on.”