Red Bull Racing championship hopeful Sebastian Vettel believes all the pressure is on title rivals Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello as he prepares to chase down the Brawn GP duo’s points advantage in Brazil this weekend.
Vettel comes to São Paulo’s Interlagos circuit on back of an impressive win in Japan which has rekindled his hopes of claiming the Formula One world championship.
The 22-year-old German is now 16pts behind Button and two adrift of Barrichello and he believes his status as the outsider of the title-chasing trio puts all the pressure squarely on his rivals.
Vettel said: “The only thing I can do is win, the pressure is the two in front of me. You don’t have to be genius to know that I have to win the races and those two mess it up.
“I hope those three points [lost in Singapore through a drive-through penalty] are not missing in the end. Japan was fantastic for us, the car was great and I am looking forward to the next two races.”
Vettel faces a huge task. To keep the title fight alive, he must win in Brazil with Button finishing sixth or lower. Then, the Red Bull driver has to win the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi (November 1).
'You don’t have to be genius to know that I have to win the races and those two mess it up' - Sebastian Vettel
And Button, who has seen his lead gradually be cut, has insisted that he does not feel any additional pressure going into the penultimate race of the season.
The Briton, who will be looking to wrap up the title in Brazil, countered: “Sebastian saying the pressure is on us is not quite the case, it is the same for all of us.
“We are all fighting for the championship, it is the first time for me, Sebastian and maybe Rubens. It is an exciting situation to be in, but I am the one with the lead."
Vettel, meanwhile, feels that the anti-clockwise Interlagos track, which stresses a driver’s neck in unfamiliar ways, will suit him.
He said: “This circuit I think should suit us. It still has a lot of corners where you need the downforce and it seems it is our strength, so we are looking forward to it, but we don’t know what to expect. For this weekend the teams with KERS will be very strong, there is steep uphill and you need the acceleration.”
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