F1 news: Valtteri Bottas fires Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel Championship warning

Hamilton is expected to wrap up his fifth world title at the Mexican Grand Prix this weekend and all he has to do is finish seventh or higher.

However, if Vettel fails to win the race then the Mercedes man will be handed the Championship, regardless of his result.

Hamilton’s team-mate Bottas has twice surrendered his position on the track to allow the Brit to secure a higher total of points in the second half of the season.

But the Finn reckons he would also be in the running for the top prize had it not been for bad luck.

“I don’t know in deep detail how the points would have been,” Bottas said.

“I don’t like to calculate those things because in the end after each race that is the situation you’re in and you’re always trying to then make the best out of the future.

“But when you have many setbacks in a row then at some point it kind of becomes a bit of a joke and that’s for me how I felt at some point this year.

“If we would be now with not a big points difference or anything then for sure we would be both fighting flat-out for the Championship but we’re not, he is and I am not.”

Bottas has yet to win a race this season but he is confident of emerging victorious on one of the final three tracks.

“My goal is for sure to try and be stronger. One day things will come together,” he added.

“I think performance-wise every race this season I’ve been able to perform better than last year and that’s what I try to continue to keep doing with this team all the time, learning.

“I am very keen to be better next year and hopefully that will bring those results.”

Meanwhile, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has backed Bottas to have a stronger season in 2019.

“He will go into his third season with Mercedes next year and make another step,” Wolff said.

“He’ll have learned and improved and see himself as a strong challenger for the Championship, it’s exactly what we want, so that will come.”