Ferrari's senior performance engineer Jock Clear praised Sebastian Vettel for his outstanding talent and contribution to the Italian outfit's performance.
Clear, who was previously Lewis Hamilton's race engineer at Mercedes, returned to F1 action this season after a year of 'gardening leave' since the end of 2014 when it was announced that he was leaving Mercedes to join its rival in Maranello.
Having worked with Michael Schumacher at Mercedes, Clear knew how much the legendary German driver held Vettel in high esteem, even urging the manufacturer to secure his countryman's services.
Speaking to Speed Week, Red Bull's motorsport media platform, the British engineer relayed how true Schumacher's view turned out to be.
"Michael always boasted about Sebastian," Clear said. "And he was absolutely right.
"Now that I work with Sebastian at Ferrari, I can confirm that nothing Michael had said about him was exaggerated.
"It is especially his incredible loyalty to detail that Vettel has that brings the best out of all the staff and drives the team forward.
"His contribution is invaluable, and the nature of his work is precisely the difference between a four-time world champion and other drivers in the pitlane."
Clear also elaborated on his return to the sport and the difficulties of adapting once again to Formula 1's high pressure environment.
"It's not easy to go from being at every race for 21 years to suddenly sitting at home on the sofa and watching on TV - it's not fun.
"I also found it remarkable how quickly you lose the pace of the decision-making that goes on in F1. I am still getting back up to speed - qualifying and the race were a shock.
"Luckily I have great people around me."
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Australian Grand Prix - Quotes of the weekend
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