Gerhard Berger believes that Ferrari's resurgence this season has led to momentum which Sebastian Vettel can carry all the way to the world title.
After trading wins with Lewis Hamilton in Melbourne and Shanghai, Vettel gained a clear upper hand last weekend in Bahrain, a state of affairs which has surprised Berger.
"I would have lost every bet before the season," the former Ferrari and McLaren driver told Sport Bild.
"Because I doubted that Ferrari would really beat Mercedes. The Vettel factor can decide the world championship this year."
Berger also believes that Vettel's early form bodes well for the Scuderia's chances of keeping the German on-board for 2018.
"With Ferrari performing, there is no reason for him to not stay. Of course, if there is a stretch where he doesn't win any races, there will be enormous pressure.
"But it looks at the moment that they are on the right track. I cannot imagine anything changing."
GALLERY: All the action from the Day 2 in-season testing at Bahrain
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Williams is continuing to fight uphill battles this weekend in Las Vegas as a knock-on…
It was a solid start to the Las Vegas weekend for Ferrari with Carlos Sainz…
Lando Norris didn’t hold back in his assessment of McLaren’s performance on the opening day…
Lewis Hamilton was particularly happy with his opening day of running at the Las Vegas…
Red Bull fears that its prospects for this weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix - which…
Ferrari and Mercedes have both modified their car’s floor element in Las Vegas to comply…