Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari's Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany lifts his trophy next to winning Mercedes F1 driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain (R) after receiving the award for his second place by Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) on the podium of the Russian F1 Grand Prix in Sochi, Russia, October 11, 2015. In rear L is Andy Cowell, managing director of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor

The battle between Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel can fittingly grow into one of the greatest rivalries in the history of Formula One (F1), Mercedes’ head of motor sport Toto Wolff said. The 43-year-old Austrian investor believes that it would be good for the sport.

Wolff spoke about a future rivalry between Hamilton and Vettel in a report by Motor Sport. Ferrari’s resurgence this season could put Vettel head-to-head with Hamilton in the future, according to Wolff.

“They are both in very performing cars,” Wolff said. “It could be one of the great rivalries in the sport, in different teams.”

Wolff further acknowledged Hamilton’s rivalry within the team. The reigning F1 world champion has been friends with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, but the two have their own scuffle too. However, Wolff said that a rivalry with Vettel could be more beneficial for the German F1 outfit as it would “push” the team even more.

Wolff added that they are anticipating Ferrari to be “very strong” in 2016 having had scored three Grand Prix victories (Malaysian Grand Prix, Hungarian Grand Prix, and Singapore Grand Prix).

“This is a group of people with a very good car, and we are looking forward to a great fight next year.”

Hamilton and Vettel - a rivalry in the making

Hamilton and Vettel are tied with 42 wins apiece in F1. They are third behind Alain Prost with 51 wins and Michael Schumacher with 91 wins.

Hamilton and Vettel join other F1 greats such as Schumacher and Nigel Mansell in terms of most wins in a single season. Hamilton utterly dominated last year winning 11 races, which is on level with Vettel’s record during the 2011 season when the German was still racing for Red Bull winning 11 out of 19 races.

During the Italian Grand Prix, Hamilton fended off the challenge from Vettel to claim the 49th pole position of his career. Vettel, on the other hand, claimed his 46th pole position in Singapore, giving Ferrari its first pole position since 2012.

Vettel holds the record of most pole positions in a season with 15 out of 19 races, which he achieved in 2011. Hamilton is only four shy of Vettel’s tally with four remaining races this season.

For more information about Hamilton and Vettel’s F1 record, visit Formula1.com.

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