Vettel spun at Sakhir immediately after being passed by Hamilton for second place, and flat-spotted tyres caused a vibration that is believed to have triggered his subsequent front wing failure, which cost him more time.

The Ferrari driver went on to finish fifth in the race and is now 22 points behind championship leader Valtteri Bottas.

The incident came after several errors in 2018 contributed to Vettel falling away from world championship contention towards the end of the season.

"It's not that it plays on your mind, it happens to all of us," said Hamilton. "Just because you're a four-time champion doesn't mean you're not going to have off-weekends.

"It's more cumulative. If you look at Vettel's career he's had stunning performances that far more outweigh the weaker races, and whe

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