Hamilton is on course for his fourth Drivers’ Championship and can win it if he finishes fifth or higher at the Mexican Grand Prix today.
Vettel is not out of the title race entirely though and is mathematically capable of overhauling the Mercedes man’s lead at the top of the standings.
Vettel and Hamilton will go head-to-head at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez tonight, starting first and third on the grid respectively.
And Vettel has suggested he holds out hope of beating his rival to the title – even if he admits Hamilton is in the driving seat to secure success.
Vettel said: “[The championship] is not as much in my control as I would like it to be. It depends on what Lewis is doing.
“We go all out. We’ll attack and see what we can do. We deserve a good result. Ferrari deserves a good result.”
Ferrari tinkered with Vettel’s car on Friday following a tough series of practice sessions.
And those changes helped him set a new lap record during qualifying for today’s race.
Vettel commented on the impact of Ferrari’s modifications, saying: “It was quite a lap I have to say.
“Friday wasn’t that good for us in all honesty but overnight we improved, we had a lot of things we worked on and changed and they all worked.
“For now I’m really happy, we’ll see what happens but the race pace should be really good.”
Should Hamilton fail to wrap up the title in Mexico City, the battle with Vettel will continue in Brazil on Sunday November 12.