Sebastian Vettel believes that the fight for the Formula One world title will effectively re-start at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.
The 23-year-old Red Bull driver, who has had more than his share of frustrating moments this season, said that he can't afford to let any more chances slip away and is focussing on a strong performance at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
Vettel, currently third in the standings, insisted he will not be thinking about his missed opportunities and said that with only 20 points separating the top five drivers, the contest is still wide open.
"Yes we should probably have more points," said Vettel.
"We have a saying in Germany from where I come from - that if a dog would not have gone for a shit, then he would have got the cat.
"It all depends on what the points are on the scoreboard and in the championship - and you could argue that we should have scored more points. But then again, other teams and other drivers should have scored more.
"This is where we are at, so the championship starts from more or less zero. We have to focus on each and every race. With 20 races or 15 races there is probably more room for mistakes. But with seven to go, every single race is probably more important."
Vettel warned that although his Red Bull team now lead both championships - Australia's Mark Webber heads the drivers series - the new points system means McLaren and Ferrari are likely to be in contention for some time to come.
"Speaking about Ferrari and McLaren, they have to and they will push until the end," he said. "They are in a similar position to us and it is all tight on points.
"The points system is different and, although it looks a big gap, it is virtually nothing.
"Fernando Alonso had a couple of good races and from nowhere, with people saying he wasn't in it, he is back. It shows how quickly things can change and you have to keep pushing until the end."
Copyright 2010 AFP Global Edition
