Former world champion Mika Hakkinen has said that he believes Mercedes could be heading for the 2018 title, even though Ferrari currently has the faster car.

Lewis Hamilton currently has a 30-point lead at the top of the standings, although Sebastian Vettel's red car is quicker than his long-standing rival's.

"No one can say that Lewis is there because the Mercedes has a major advantage," Hakkinen told his Unibet column.

"He shows great race craft and does not make mistakes of the kind that Sebastian Vettel has made, especially at race starts. But he also benefits from having a fantastic team partnership with Valtteri Bottas.

"To beat Lewis, Ferrari now needs to do a perfect job every weekend and hope that Mercedes has some problems."

The pair will next go head-to-head in Singapore on September 16.