Sebastian Vettel says Hamilton-Verstappen rivalry has been a 'clean fight' so far

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is just six points ahead of Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and with six races to go, things will get heated from now on. Ahead of the main race at the United States Grand Prix which is scheduled for October 24, Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel says he hopes that Verstappen will have a better car to contest for the Formula 1 driver championship with Hamilton.

Speaking prior to the F1 US Grand Prix the four-time champion told Formula1.com: "I hope that Max has a better car at the end, or better position to be in at the very end because the fights that I was (in) with Lewis, unfortunately, we were not as competitive to really give him a hard time in the end. So I think it was quite clear and fairly easy for him to win the championship in the end."

When asked about the crashes that Hamilton and Verstappen have had so far, Sebastian Vettel responded by saying that rivalries are good for any sport. He also added that he enjoys rivalry and that the Max - Lewis rivalry has been a 'clean fight' so far.

"I think rivalry is good for any sport,” said the German. “But I'm a huge fan of rivalry with respect. And I think we're seeing a very clean fight so far."

Max vs Lewis in 2021 - Verstappen takes the lead

In Russia, we saw Lando Norris lose out on the winning spot after heavy rain and his refusal to change tyres led to his car slipping and Hamilton ended up finishing first. However, also remarkable was Verstappen at Sochi as he started the race at the end of the grid in P20 but he finished 2nd which helped him close the gap on Hamilton.

At the Turkish F1 Grand Prix, we saw Mercedes' Hamilton handed a grid penalty for a change in the engine which meant he started at P11, the entire grid started on Intermediates because of a wet track. Lewis Hamilton argued with his team to not pit for a tyre change but he ended up going in late on and finished fifth while title rival Verstappen finished second and managed to jump ahead on the driver standings and lead by six points ahead of the US Grand Prix.

(Image: AP/@AstonMartinF1/Twitter)