Formula 1 News: Sebastian Vettel Not Ruling Himself Out of Championship Contention

Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel is not ruling himself out of championship contention, saying that he still has a mathematical chance of winning the title with the Red Bull Racing team.

Vettel, who enjoyed a dominating run last year, is currently sixth in the drivers' championship with 70 points and is yet to win a grand prix this season.

He has been beaten by his new teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who is the only driver on the grid that has won a race this season apart from the Mercedes duo - Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.

The four-time world champion, however, admitted that Mercedes are in a commanding position at the moment, but insisted that the Austrian outfit is aiming to close the gap on Silver Arrows in the upcoming races.

"If you look at points and mathematics we can still fight for the world championship, so it would be stupid to say we're out," Vettel said. "Being realistic, Mercedes is in a position where it can win every race and get a one-two, without having people bother them too much unless things are going wrong."

"Our target is to catch up and beat them sooner rather than later, but the gap is very big so therefore it's difficult to close it in a short amount of time," he added. "I've never really stressed at any point in the season to focus too hard on the championship, I've really gone race to race and tried to get the best out of myself and the car."

"The gap is very big, and we'll struggle to catch up in big steps, but the goal is there for the whole team to progress and do a better job," he concluded.

Vettel, who will be competing in his home-race this weekend at Hockenheim, stressed that he will try to finish as high as possible in front of the home crowd.

"You want to give as much as possible back to the fans, but sometimes it's not in your hands," he stressed. "However we will attack at the weekend and give everything."

Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso of Ferrari that is currently on fourth in the championship standings with 87 points, during the British Grand Prix said that the title is a lost cause for other teams seeing the advantage Mercedes have over their rivals.

"I think if anyone apart from Rosberg and Hamilton tells you that they believe they can be world champion this year they will lie, and I don't like to lie," Alonso said.