Sebastian Vettel is expecting a close fight with championship rival Lewis Hamilton at tomorrow’s Japanese Grand Prix. The pair will share the front row for the start of the race despite Vettel qualifying third. Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas, who qualified second, drops five places due to a gearbox penalty.
Vettel has not won a race since the Hungarian Grand Prix, before the summer break. Hamilton has won three of the last four races and has extended his lead in the championship to 34 points. With Ferrari seemingly behind Mercedes in terms of pace in qualifying, Vettel is confident the car will be stronger in the race.