Sebastian Vettel concedes Lewis Hamilton was "the better man" during the pair's battle for the 2017 Formula One world championship, after losing out on the title to the Briton at the Mexican Grand Prix.
Hamilton recovered from an opening-lap collision with Vettel to finish ninth and seal his fourth F1 title, equalling Vettel's tally in the sport. Vettel needed to finish at least second in Mexico in order to keep his dwindling championship hopes alive, but could only manage fourth after making an unscheduled pit stop to repair front wing damage suffered in his first corner tangle with Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Hamilton.
"I'm down, obviously," Vettel told NBC after the race. "It's tough to cross the line and realise that you're not in the fight anymore. That sums it up. The rest isn't that important, whatever happened today, the most important thing is it's Lewis's day -- he was crowned world champion and he deserves that.
"I would have loved to go up on him, but it's his day, it's his year. For us, obviously we're left with whatever is left. Right now, it's disappointing. Next year will be a different story, as we all start again, but right now, in these moments, you need to give credit to the best man and that is him this year. Overall he was the better man and did the better job, simple as that."
Hamilton -- who is now the most successful British driver in the history of the sport -- has scored nine victories out of the 18 races so far in 2017, winning five of the last seven races since the summer break. In contrast, Vettel has managed four wins and has not stood on the top step of the podium since July's Hungarian Grand Prix.
When asked to rate Hamilton as a competitor, Vettel told Sky Sports F1: "I don't fear him. I like racing with him. I would have liked a little bit more of that this year. But overall, they were just the better bunch."