“I will miss the silence” – Sebastian Vettel pays tribute to former Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen after he retires from the sport in two races’ time.
Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel were teammates at Ferrari from 2015 to 2018, finishing second three times, and third once.
Winner of five world titles combined, they formed a strong chemistry at the Scuderia, not always seen with two AA-rated drivers in the sport.
Now, with Raikkonen retiring from the sport, Vettel expects him to be massively missed in the paddock. This despite his ‘silent’ demeanor and no-nonsense attitude, earning from the moniker ‘Ice Man’.
“Will he be missed? Yes.
“I think he was a true character and I enjoyed the time I had with him as a team-mate, but to be fair I got to know him already before.
“He is probably one of the very few drivers I’ve met from day one until the present day that hasn’t changed in the sense that he has been very open, welcoming me as a young child or a young kid when I entered Formula 1.
“And at that time he was probably the most established Formula 1 driver, at least one of them.
“Great respect. I don’t think you can have an argument or a problem with Kimi. If you do, the problem is not him, the problem is you.
“Time goes one way and at one point time comes for him, at some point time will come for me and at some point time will come for Lando [Norris], even though that’s a long way to go. It’s probably the most natural thing.
“He’s a great person and I’m sure we will stay in touch, so I wish him all the best – and I will miss the silence.”
