An emotional Sebastian Vettel opened up on his last conversation with Michael Schumacher and on his deep-seated longing for his friend and once mentor.
Speaking ahead of the tenth anniversary of Schumacher’s tragic skiing accident that left the F1 legend with life-changing injuries, Vettel reflected on the friendship he shared with the seven-time world champion.
Their shared experiences in Formula 1 from 2010 to 2012 and the camaraderie forged during six consecutive Race of Champions Nations' Cup victories had seen their relationship progressively transition from colleagues to close friends.
Vettel emphasized that their bond extended beyond the confines of racing, reaching a point where their collective passion for the sport was no longer the sole foundation of their friendship.
Today, Schumacher’s absence is acutely felt by the retired F1 driver.
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“It’s still very, very difficult,” Vettel told RTL. “I don’t want to say to accept it, but to accept that he continues to fight.
“Yes, of course, I only wish him the best. But it’s still very often a topic I think about privately and I think about a lot and that is definitely a recurring theme.
“Of course, the first thoughts immediately went to the last conversation we had together and that couldn’t be more positive. I told him that I was going to be a father and what was coming for us.
“And I think I really appreciated it towards the end in that sense, where our relationship became stronger and stronger before the accident.
“Because I think we both got to know each other more and more and racing was no longer the biggest thing we had in common, but life in general and life with and around racing.
“And I just miss my friend.
Over the years, Schumacher's guidance and inspiration had become invaluable to Vettel, filling a void in his life that unfortunately exists again today.
“I believe in recent years he would have been extremely important,” added the five-time F1 world champion.
“When I would have so many questions, he would definitely have so many answers, or he could provide inspiration. That’s missing, but of course, it is from a friend’s point of view with me.
“But for the family, it is of course much more difficult. At the time, Mick was a little boy or a boy, maybe not so small anymore but a teenager.
“Yes, I think that’s a completely different dimension, if the father has an accident and in that respect breaks away.”
The extent of Schumacher’s absence in the intervening years of his tragic accident was laid bare by Mick's comments in a 2021 Netflix documentary about his father’s life.
"Dad and me, we would understand each other in a different way now," Mick said. "Simply because we speak a similar language, the language of motorsport.
"We would have so much more to talk about," he added. "That's where my head is most of the time. Thinking that it would be cool. I would give up everything just for that."
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