Vettel expects hard fight as Merc have ‘an edge’

Sebastian Vettel admits Ferrari are braced for a “hard” title fight but is confident the Scuderia can rise to the challenge.

Although Vettel set the pace in the early half of this year’s championship, he reliquished the lead to Lewis Hamilton last time out at Monza.

Back-to-back wins for the Mercedes driver at two power-hungry circuits handed him a three-point advantage in this year’s title race, the first time that the lead has changed hands.

Vettel, though, says he is not writing off his chances of regaining the upperhand despite many suggesting that the remaining tracks, barring Singapore, will suit his rival better.

“I know how to read, but I don’t really care what’s written on the paper,” he said when that was put to him.

“They’re all tracks that I like, to be honest, so I’m very much looking forward to them.

“I think we are here to race, so if it’s hard it’s good. Easy is boring. I think that’s what we all want, and I’m definitely looking forward to it.

“At the moment you can say that Mercedes has an edge. On Saturdays they’re very strong, which obviously has contribution to Sundays, it’s not a big secret.

“But I think we are strong, we don’t need to hide, and there’s plenty of positives.

“Things are coming. I’m sure they are developing their car, we are developing ours, so I’m not so fussed about what they doing.

“I’m more focused on what’s going on inside us, inside Ferrari, and it makes me quite positive, what’s coming.

“We just need to see and then there’s always the extra element of racing that you can’t predict, that you can’t put down on paper, and that’s usually the most exciting bit.”