Sebastian Vettel says losing out in the 🐼2018 Formula 1 world champio📖nship to Lewis Hamilton in the Mexican Grand Prix was “a horrible moment”.

The Ferrari driver went into this weekend’s race in Mexico City needing to win with Hamilton eighth or lower to have any chance of keep﷽ing his slim title hope🎉s alive.

Vettel passed Hamilton on his way to finiꦆshing second behind race-winner Max Verstappen, though a distant fourth place was enough for Hamilton to clinch his fifth world titlꦏe.

It’s a horrible moment,” Vettel admitted.

“You put a lot of work in even if you saw it coming - but I didn’t pay attention in maths so I didn’t check the num♎bers, and you try to hang in there as long as you can.

“I have had it th🤪ree times now in my life, but there is still disappointment on the 🅺day you realise you can’t win the championship any more.

“Those are not happy days and you have to reflect not on one moment but the whole year oꩵf work and effort that goes in, from the end of last year until now.

“We had our chances, we used most of them but some we did noꦆt. In the end it wasn’t enough.”

The German congratulated Hamilto𝓀n in the immediate aftermath of the race, before going into the Mercedes garage to shake hands with team members, an act which prompted applause.

Vettel conceded the “better man wo𝄹n” the ဣchampionship and praised Hamilton for his “superb” performance across the 2018 season.

“I congratulꦜated him and I think he drove superb all year,” he said.

“I𒆙t was going to be one of us two, so I told him it was well deserved and to enjoy it, I told him number five is something incredib♏le.

“So I was mainly congratulating him an🌌d asked him to keep pushing for next year because I want him at his best to fight him a🅷gain.”