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Formula 1 has spent too long without a title fight between two drivers from two different teams. It's been called for in the last couple of years but now it seems fans are getting what they want, as Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes look to lock horns for the 2017 title.
Non-executive chairman at Mercedes Niki Lauda thinks that that is indeed what will happen, and expects the battle to grab the headlines right down to the season finale in Abu Dhabi in November.
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"Sure, that's great for the fans," the F1 legend told Bild newspaper, "but I would not have had a problem if it had continued like it had for the last few years."
Vettel won the opening race of the season in Australia, but Mercedes bounced back in China to comfortably take the win in the hands of Hamilton. Lauda admits that he felt relieved that the Brit took the chequered flag: "I was relieved. I'm glad we now have our first race win under the new rules."
He also commented on the performance of Max Verstappen who stormed from sixteenth on the grid to finish on the podium. Despite his pace, Lauda doesn't think Red Bull are close to challenging Mercedes or Ferrari: "Max's performance was impressive but I do not think Red Bull really got any closer."
Hamilton and Vettel are now tied at the top of the driver's standings on 43 points, after taking a win each. All eyes will be on the duo this weekend in Bahrain as fans look to see what the next chapter in this new era of Formula 1 entails.
Fergal Walsh
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