Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has said that Sebastian Vettel is "likely" to equal the Formula 1 record of nine race wins in a row.
The German, who is on the verge of winning a fourth straight world championship, racked up his fifth consecutive Grand Prix win in Japan on Sunday and if he triumphs in the final four races of the season, then he will equal the record set by Ferrari's Alberto Ascari in 1952-53.
Asked whether Vettel could win the last four races, 2008 champion Hamilton told reporters: "If he doesn't have any reliability issues, most likely. He's just walking it."
Vettel has a 90-point lead in the drivers' championship and with just 100 left to play for, his title should be clinched in India in just under two weeks' time.
