Vettel comfortable with lead

Sebastian Vettel has come under increased pressure from McLaren and Ferrari in recent races © Getty Images

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Sebastian Vettel says he is happy to pick up solid points in his quest for the championship, even if he is unable to win races.

Vettel was in dominant form early in the season, winning six of the first seven races to pull out a large lead in the title standings. However, Red Bull's advantage over the rest of the field has been shrinking as the season gone on, with Vettel only winning one of the last five grands prix, and none of the last three.

Vettel is not worried, however, saying that the increased competition from McLaren and Ferrari is natural, and that consistent points-scoring finishes is all he needs to maintain his position at the top of the championship.

"You can't assume you're going to have a car able to drive away from all the others for a whole season," Vettel is quoted by Bild. "I didn't win the last few races but we always did our best and scored (points) properly. It will be good as long as we continue like this.

"There are still eight races and we have to make sure we are fighting every time. You can't win every time and it's certainly not a drama to not win two or three in a row."

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