MONTMELO, Spain -- Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel believes Mercedes starts the 2018 Formula One season as the favourites for this year's championship.
Vettel finished last year's title race in second place after losing crucial points to rival Lewis Hamilton in the final third of the season. The results of the first week of pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya have been inconclusive owing to cold weather, but Vettel believes Mercedes remains the team to beat.
"[It'] pretty much the same," he said. "I think Mercedes is the favourite so if we can be close, very close, closer than last year, that would be great, and then we see from there.