Despite the engine failure which robbed him of certain victory in Korea and leaves him twenty-five points adrift of Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel insists that he has not given up on the 2010 title.

"I am the last person to give up," he said, according to the Guardian. "My chances? They are how they are. I cannot change anything.

"Of course, it is even harder and more interesting to try to go for the title," he continued, "but as long as I have a tiny chance... We still have two races to go, and we all saw in Korea how quickly things can change. "The race for the title is not over yet so let's wait to see what the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi brings."

Despite locking out the front row of the grid for the eighth time this season, Red Bull suffered a calamitous day on Sunday with championship leader Mark Webber crashing out after 18 laps.

"It was such a hard moment," admits Vettel. "With Mark's crash it was hard for us as a team. But when I look at myself I know the reason for the failure was not my fault, was nothing to do with my performance or speed.

"At the time there was no sign of the engine defect," he added. "In turn 17 I suddenly lost a row of cylinders and had strong vibrations. Only half the engine was working. I could then count down to the moment when the engine would break.

It would have been the last race for that engine anyway. We still have engines with little mileage, so at least I'll be fine for the remaining two races," he added, though it is unclear whether he had his fingers crossed.