Hamilton defends under-pressure Vettel

Lewis Hamilton has defended his title-rival Sebastian Vettel, following criticism of the Ferrari driver for mistakes made by him this season.

Hamilton won the Japan Grand Prix on Sunday to extend his advantage over Vettel to 67 points in the constructors' championship.

Vettel was at one stage ahead of the world champion, but mistakes made by the German have gifted him a hefty lead.

Ferrari clearly have the more powerful car this season, so in theory, Vettel isn't making the most of his opportunities.

However, Hamilton recently is "the best" he's ever driven, admitting that himself, and the form is putting his rival under even more pressure.

Vettel has come under fire from the Italian media, who don't believe the German driver is the right man for Ferrari, if they wish to challenge Mercedes more seriously in the future.

Hamilton has defended his rival on Instagram and thinks the media should show Vettel "more respect".

"You simply cannot imagine how hard it is to do what we do at our level, for any athlete at the top of their game that is," Hamilton explained on his Instagram post. "It is expected that being humans we will make mistakes but it is how we get through them that counts."