(CNN) -- Sebastian Vettel has already won the 2013 Formula One world championship -- at least that's the view of his Ferrari rivals, despite there being six races left this season.
Red Bull driver Vettel took the checkered flag at Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix to win his seventh race of the year and extend his lead over Ferrari's Fernando Alonso in the drivers' standings to 60 points.
Despite an encouraging race which saw Alonso finish in second place after starting seventh on the grid, team principal Stefano Domenicali declared that Ferrari will be prioritizing 2014 between now and the end of the current season.
Read: Vettel wins Singapore Grand Prix
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel lifts the trophy under lights following his victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, F1's only night race.
Vettel's Singapore success
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"Now it's clear that 99% of our energies will be concentrated on the 2014 project," Domenicali told Ferrari's official website.
"Ahead of the summer break we were striving hard for a performance gain in Singapore, on a track with characteristics that are particularly unsuitable for our car.
"Instead we lost even more ground, despite the fact that the F138 has improved in certain ways, otherwise Fernando would never have managed to do what he did in the second part of the race in terms of tire management.
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"We still have some new parts for the car that we will bring to the coming races but, above all, we will now try to make the most out of what we already have."
Two-time world champion Alonso last week pledged his loyalty to Ferrari amid reported interest from former team McLaren, and on Saturday said he wants to extend his contract.
A promotional image for the new Formula One film "Rush." Australian actor Chris Hemsworth plays the hedonistic James Hunt (left) while Daniel Bruhl plays his on-track nemesis Niki Lauda.
Rush movie premiere
Ferrari will pit two world champions against each other in 2014 as Kimi Raikkonen (left) returns to join Fernando Alonso. The pairing could be one of the most sensational in the history of Formula One.
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Next season Alonso will be partnered by Kimi Raikkonen, the current Lotus driver who was the last man to win the drivers' championship for Ferrari in 2007.
Read: Raikkonen switch to wake up Alonso?
Alonso hopes a raft of new technical regulations which will be introduced to the sport next season will benefit Ferrari.
"We started (the season) in a good way," the 32-year-old, who is without a grand prix win since May, told the BBC.
"We were competitive in Australia, maybe not in qualifying but in the race we were taking care of the tires very, very well, together with Lotus.
"We won in China, we won in Spain and then we seemed to lose a little bit of performance, especially when the 2012 tires came back.
"For next year, we start from zero. Really we will put all our effort and hopes into 2014, because starting from zero is our best opportunity to close the gap with all the top teams."
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The Red Bull driver won at the Marina Bay street circuit for the third year in a row, triumphing by more than half a minute despite his progress being slowed by the safety car halfway through the race.
Vettel started from pole position and briefly surrendered the lead to Mercedes' Nico Rosberg at the beginning of the race, but was untroubled after that.
Rosberg finished fourth after Vettel's teammate Mark Webber had to retire at the end due to technical problems. The Australian was given a ride back to the pits by Ferrari's second-placed Fernando Alonso.
Like Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen battled his way up from down the grid to take third place for Lotus, despite being troubled by back problems in Saturday's qualifying.
Lauda (left) and Hunt seen here during their heyday in the 1970s. Their battle during the 1976 season is one of motorsport's most compelling dramas and has now been dramatized in "Rush" -- which was released this September.
Lauda's crash at the Nurburgring at the beginning of August was the defining moment of the 1976 season. He suffered horrific burns and nearly lost his life but somehow found the courage to return to the track at Monza just 43 days later. The Ferrari driver conquered his fears and finished fourth to the amazement of everyone and the delight of the Tifosi.
Lauda attends the world premiere of "Rush" at London's Leicester Square. "I was happy to stay alive," he says of the crash at the Nurburgring. "Normally you get killed in this kind of accident. Then it was clear that the challenge now is to see can you ever comeback ... So I fought my way back five weeks later in Monza. I only had Hunt as a target and make sure he will not win the championship."
Lauda's return to the racetrack at Monza took "courage in its rawest form," says "Rush" director Ron Howard. "Both (Hunt and Lauda) were so truthful and so competitive. They just did things their way. And they would have scars of some of those decisions but they also got to own their own triumphs. You have to admire that. To me, that's the nobility of the story."
Current McLaren driver Jenson Button also attended the London premiere. Lauda's comeback was "amazing," the 2009 world champion said. "It's obvious how tough he found it ... You are going to be (scared) after a massive, scary incident. Things have changed in terms of safety over the last 40 years but there are still dangers involved. We understand that as drivers. As soon as you step into the cockpit you know that."
Hunt's son Tom attended the premiere. He said it was "surreal" watching the film for the first time. "There were so many different emotions. For me, it's easy in one way because I know it's not Dad up there and it's a Hollywood film. Ron and his team have done a fantastic job."
Raikkonen's high-flying F1 career began in 2001 with Sauber. Here the team treats him to a ride with the Royal Australian Air Force before his debut in the Australian Grand Prix.
Raikkonen (left) was one of many talented drivers making their F1 debut in 2001, along with future McLaren teammate Juan Pablo Montoya and Alonso (right).
Raikkonen celebrates his maiden grand prix win in Malaysia in 2003. He had moved to McLaren, where he would spend five years, twice finishing as runner-up in the drivers' championship.
After joining Ferrari, Raikkonen won a dramatic Brazilian Grand Prix to seize the 2007 title by a single point from his McLaren rivals Lewis Hamilton and Alonso.
Raikkonen celebrated his title with Ferrari but two years later the Italian team chose to stick with Felipe Massa as it juggled its lineup. The team ended the Finn's contract in order to bring in Alonso, a double world champion with Renault, for 2010.
Raikkonen quit F1 in 2009 after losing his Ferrari seat, and spent two years tinkering with a different breed of cars in the World Rally Championship.
After a two-year hiatus, Raikkonen returned to F1 with the rebranded Lotus team, formerly Renault. As well as winning two races, the 33-year-old has won new fans with his laidback style.
Following Raikkonen's decision to leave Lotus in 2013, the team revealed it had chosen to spend its money on developing the car rather than paying the Finn's wages.
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