Sebastian Vettel: I still think Lando is the favorite.
At a press conference after the Bahrain Grand Prix, Lando Norris criticized himself for making mistakes that prevented him from rising above third place. Usually, drivers try to hide their weaknesses in order not to give their rivals an advantage, but Sebastian Vettel believes that the McLaren driver's self-criticism is his strength, not his weakness.
Sebastian Vettel: "I believe that we are seeing an example of positive development. Racers are the same people with the usual problems as everyone else. Heroism is good, but part of heroism is the ability to talk about your problems and weaknesses. It's great that we're seeing racers starting to talk openly about such things, becoming role models.
I don't consider self-criticism to be a sign of weakness. Some may criticize Lando for this approach, but if we look at the big picture, we can see progress."
When asked which of the McLaren drivers he prefers in the fight for the title, Vettel said: "I continue to consider Lando the favorite, but time will tell. Naturally, people expect an entertaining fight, and that's fine, but I don't think the McLaren drivers will start fighting each other hard. I think they'll get along well, and Andrea Stella will be able to control them.
The rivalry these days is different from what it was in my day. Like us, the new generation respects each other, but they are progressing and are better able than us to separate the struggle on the track and everything that happens outside it."
Sebastian Vettel added that it is too early to write off Max Verstappen in the fight for the title: "Of course, they are not very strong at Red Bull right now, but last year they started the season strongly, then lost speed, and still managed to win the title. Therefore, I think that the balance of power may still change.
It's not easy for them to solve problems, but they know what they're doing. It is very likely that Red Bull will be able to return to the fight."
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Sebastian Vettel: I still think Lando is the favorite.
After the Bahrain Grand Prix, Lando Norris criticized himself for his mistakes. Usually, drivers try to hide their weaknesses in order not to give an advantage to rivals, but Sebastian Vettel believes that the McLaren driver's self-criticism is his strength, not his weakness.