Vettel has 'fingers crossed' for Hamilton title at Ferrari

Vettel was Hamilton's main rival for the championship in 2017 and 2018 as the German aimed to add to his tally of four titles, trying to become the first to triumph for Ferrari since Kimi Raikkonen emerged on top in 2007.

But the Briton was able to fend off Vettel's challenge, before he eventually finished his career with Aston Martin. Now taking time away from racing, he has taken on a number of environmental and societal issues in the hope of raising awareness and instigating action.

That off-track fight has united the duo in recent years and, with Hamilton following Vettel in leaving one marriage with a team for the Marenello-based outfit's red machinery, he is aiming to go one better.

On whether the pressure is different for driver racing at Ferrari, Vettel told BBC Sportsworld: "Maybe it is a bit, but Lewis is a competitor and he has very high expectations about himself.

"So I think he is probably very ambitious to be in that seat right now, not so focused on the noise around but more on trying to make it work."

A lot of things have to come together

On whether he believed Hamilton could break Ferrari's championship drought, Vettel replied: "For me, it didn't quite work because Lewis was there [at Mercedes]. So let's see how he will get on. My fingers are crossed. I have raced against him for a long time, we get on really well and he is by far the most outspoken driver on the grid at the minute. 

"His on-track skills don't need to be repeated, I think his numbers and statistics speak for themselves. It is great to see he is still on the grid and still has that influence and uses it in a positive manner. 

"So naturally, my fingers are crossed for him to win the championship, but also Charles is there and I raced with him. It is a strong line-up but in the end, it takes a lot of things to come together to be there in the last couple of races to fight for the championship. 

"We will see, it will be close but I am definitely not ruling anybody out."