Sebastian Vettel has suggested that there are too many risks in Formula 1 to think of himself as the world champion already.

The Red Bull driver holds a 13-point lead over Fernando Alonso but insists that he is taking nothing for granted ahead of this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Vettel said: "If you look back to the last race in India, which was a great one for us, a couple of laps from the end there were some sparks [from underneath the car].

"It doesn't take much and you might end the race not scoring the points you were hoping for, then the whole picture looks different again.

"In 2010, in particular, various people were written off and then written back in in again depending on results. That's something we shouldn't forget."

Vettel needs to retain his lead for three more races to be crowned champion for the third successive year.