Sebastian Vettel has said that he is proud of his podium finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, having started the race in the pit lane.

The reigning world champion was disqualified from qualifying after not being able to provide a fuel sample for scrutiny.

Speaking on the podium after finishing third, the Red Bull driver said: "I believed I could get the podium. After a couple of laps that changed a little and I had a messy start to the race but I damaged my front wing and I had a big mistake with Daniel [Ricciardo].

"It was a fantastic race and in the end it was a nice fight with Jenson [Button] and I just squeezed my way past. It was a thrilling race, up and down all the time.

"We can be proud and we only lost a little but the car is quick and so we're looking forward to the next two races and we believe."

Vettel leads the drivers standings by 10 points.