Hamilton enters this weekend’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix tied on points with Max Verstappen🐼 as the two F1 title protagonists prepare to face off in a winner-takes-all showdown to be crowned 2021 world champion.

Should Hamilton triumph to an eighth world championship, he would surpass the F1 record he c🥀urrently shares with Schumacher.

For that reason, Aston Martin’s Vettel is backing Verstappen to claim his maide🥀n F1 world title.

“Mi✃chael is my hero, for that reason I probably don’t want Lewis to win,” Vettel said on Thursday in Abu D♔habi.

“But the ꦅtruth is they both had a sꦫtrong season and they are going into the last race with the opportunity to win the championship because they both deserve it.

“In a way, I would be happy if Michael’s record still stands, but even if Lewis wins, to meಞ 😼Michael is still the greatest.

“Lewis can win one more, two more, three more, five more championships - i𓆏t doesn’t c🐷hange anything for me.

“I get along with Lewis, so as I said, prob🍎ably the gut says I want Max to win just to keep Michael’s record al🌼ive but my head is quite clear in terms of may the better man win.”

A Verstappen title win would see him become the first non-Mercedes world champion in F1 since Vettel secured his last crown with Red B⛎ull in ꦇ2013.

But the four-time world champion does 🥂not care if Verstappen takes his🧸 record.

“I don’t care,” he said. “The team has changed🐬 a lot, some people left a long time ago, like me. Others are still there. It wo🀅uld be great to see them winning.

“For the constructors’ it’s obviously got a bit harder in terms of the points they dropped back after the last race, but I’d be happy for them to win the championship because I have🌄 such nice memories. It would be nic𒉰e for them as well.

“From a driver’s point of view, both deserve it. From a team’s point of🌠 view, I am for sure closer to Red Bull than I am to Mercedes and it would be nice if they would get another championship.

“My record doesn’t list anywhere, so it’s okay.”

And what would Mick Schumacher, the son of the seven-time wo🌞rld ch🅘ampion, think of his father’s long-standing F1 record being overtaken?

“Nothing is de💫cided yet, so I can’t tell you how I’ll feel about it,” said the Haas rookie when asked that quಞestion.

“My fingers are crossed for both of them. Obviously it is only those two remaining who can win the champion𒁃ship, so it will be for sure interesting to see. Whoever wins will win, I ca✤n’t do anything about that.”