Sebastian Vettel hopes that Max Verstappen will manage to achieve what he didn't in his own title battles with Lewis Hamilton by sustaining his challenge until the end of the season. The Aston Martin driver has previously gone head-to-head with Hamilton in the fight for the World Championship, but admits that his chances usually diminished in later races due to struggles with the car. Vettel is enjoying the duel between Hamilton and Verstappen this season and is hopeful that Verstappen can avoid this same fate. "I think rivalry is good for any sport," Vettel told select media, including RacingNews365.com . "I'm a huge fan of rivalry with respect, and I think we're seeing a very clean fight so far. "I hope that Max has a better car at the end, or better position to be in at the very end, because [during] 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." Vettel has not been in contention for the title for some time; the German endured a difficult final season with Ferrari in 2020, and this year has been battling in the midfield in the Aston Martin. He currently holds 12th place in the Drivers' standings. The four-time World Champion admits that he – and every other driver on the grid – would relish the opportunity to be in Hamilton or Verstappen's place. Vettel added: "We would all like to be in their position and fighting for the championship when the season comes to a close." Verstappen currently leads Hamilton in the standings by six points ahead of the United States Grand Prix, whilst Mercedes are 36 points ahead of Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship.
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