Sebastian Vettel fought Lewis Hamilton year-on-year for the world drivers’ championship. The duo developed a great rivalry that fans looked forward to witnessing on each racing weekend. Vettel has also seen the brilliance that is Max Verstappen unfold before his own eyes, sharing the grid. However, when it came to choosing a worthy competitor, he chose none other than his old Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.

Sebastian and Charles spent 2 years together as teammates at Ferrari. During his final year at the Maranello-based team, Vettel faced stiff competition from the young Monegasque. The rivalry even turned sour when they both crashed into each other during the 2019 Brazilian GP. However, the relationship they both shared still remains dear to the German.

“It was funny because I watched him and we got along really well. I think I really enjoyed the time we spent together. But it was a little bit as if I was looking at my younger self and it did take a little bit of time to understand that,” Seb said in F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast. “Because obviously, my target was not to just win a race, I’ve done that. My target was to win the Championship and ideally win the Championship the way I wanted to win the Championship, which is winning many, many races. So maybe I lost myself a little bit in that process.”

“I think Charles has been something special,” he added. “Just the amount of talent and how he manages in just one lap, particularly in qualifying, to squeeze pace out of himself, the car was nice to see.”

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This is not the first time Vettel has talked about seeing his reflection in Leclerc. And it is not like the respect is one-sided. Charles, too, holds Seb in very high regard.

Charles Leclerc’s sweet message for Sebastian Vettel

Vettel announced in July that he will retire from Formula 1. The moment was not just an emotional moment for him, but also for his fans and admirers. Charles Leclerc definitely makes it into the latter list. Formula 1 interviewed drivers reacting to Vettel’s retirement announcement.

When it was Charles’ turn, he said, “Our relationship is very strong, and he’s just a super nice guy. Just wish him the best and as I told him before, I will always have one or two passes if he wants to come to a race because I will be very happy to see him in the paddock still next year.”

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It is nice to see the Ferrari duo’s bromance have continued after Seb’s departure from the team. We hope to see him continue spreading the positivity he did while he was still in F1.