Vettel learning from Raikkonen despite struggles

Sebastian Vettel says he is learning from Kimi Raikkonen and recent results have masked how close the Ferrari team-mates are.

Raikkonen crashed out of the Austrian Grand Prix two weeks after a spin cost him a podium in Canada. While Vettel is now 48 points clear of his team-mate in the drivers' championship, the quadruple world champion says he is learning a lot from Raikkonen as he reiterated his desire to see the Finn remain at Ferrari.

"I am not responsible for picking who is driving alongside me," Vettel said. "I have a contract for next year, but I think I have said many times that I am very happy with Kimi. I have said since day one that he is very straight, becoming world champion in 2007 hasn’t changed him, so it is good for F1 to have him back. He is straightforward, there is no bullshit from him, that is the politics that I really enjoy.

"Seeing him as my team-mate it is the first time I get to see what he is doing on track. I know if you get the wrong results, that it might be quite obvious, but it is very close with each other. There are corners where he has the upper hand and corners where I have the upper hand, so it is a good challenge.

"There is a lot I can learn from him, there is a different approach to some things. We obviously have this season left, I don’t want the contract details for next year, but it would be nice to have him in the team for next year."

Click here for the F1 drivers' girlfriends gallery

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

McLaren: No regrets over timing of Norris pit stop in Sao Paulo GP

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has insisted that the squad has no regrets about their…

51 mins ago

Williams' Boutsen hoists the mainsail in Adelaide

On this day in 1989, Williams' Thierry Boutsen secured his second F1 win when he…

2 hours ago

Horner: Max 'answered critics' with epic Sao Paulo GP drive

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner hailed Max Verstappen’s sensational Sao Paulo Grand Prix victory…

3 hours ago

Sainz left puzzled by double crash drama in rainy São Paulo

Carlos Sainz was left scratching his head after a disastrous Sunday at the Sao Paulo…

4 hours ago

Alonso pushed through agonizing pain to complete Sao Paulo GP

Fernando Alonso braved both physical agony and mechanical challenges in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix,…

5 hours ago

Alpine double-podium in Brazil could deliver $30 million windfall

Alpine’s remarkable double podium at the São Paulo Grand Prix with Esteban Ocon and Pierre…

20 hours ago