Lewis Hamilton warns Sebastian Vettel best is to come as he tightens grip on Formula One world title No5

Lewis Hamilton has warned Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari that he will only get stronger in the second half of the season after extending his stranglehold in the drivers’ standings.

Hamilton had warned yesterday’s Hungarian Grand Prix would be a three-way battle with Ferrari and Red Bull but, it proved a one-man show, the 32-year-old winning by 17 seconds.Last year Hamilton won five of the next six races after the summer break and the Mercedes driver, who leads Vettel by 24 points, said: “The second half usually gets better on our side so we will make sure we come back even stronger.”

But he insisted he is a long way from getting his hands on the drivers’ trophy for a fifth time. “I think it’s far too early,” he said. “You’ve seen the ups and downs this year. I don’t believe there’s a moment that you’ve got your hands on the trophy. We’ve got a long way to go and there’s nine races. But there’s nothing we really need to alter.”

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted they had arrived at the Hungaroring with “damage limitation as our motto”, only to dominate. He said: “Lewis’ win is the perfect way to finish the first half of the season but we know this one is going down to the wire.”