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Mercedes' Niki Lauda believes that Sebastian Vettel is well and truly the favourite for the 2017 title. The Austrian who joined Mercedes in 2012 thinks that after the first six rounds of the 2017 championship, Vettel is Mercedes' biggest threat.
Vettel has won three of the Grands Prix so far, while Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton have shared the spoils for the Brackley based team. However, after Monaco, they sit behind Ferrari in the championship, while Vettel leads the driver standings by 25 points.
"Vettel won because he was faster when Raikkonen stopped," Lauda, Mercedes' team chairman, told Sky Italia. "Do I look happy? Ferrari always has a slice of my heart. They were perfect and we were not. The championship? It's going in the direction of Vettel but there are still many races.
Lauda also believes that if Vettel doesn't have any mechanical issues throughout the season, the championship is already over: "On Monday I was still angry, but now we have to find the right tyre window. Another thing is clear: Vettel must have a failure, otherwise it is over. Ferrari are in a real flow and if this continues, the gap is enormous," he said.
Fergal Walsh
Grand Prix of Belgium
C. Sainz jr
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f1fan0101
Posts: 1,804
Still a looong way to go