Sebastian Vettel feels Kimi Raikkonen is the best team-mate he has had during his Formula 1 career, with the relationship between the German and Finn a straightforward one.
The duo have been team-mates at Scuderia Ferrari since Vettel joined the Maranello-based team ahead of the 2015 Formula 1 season, and although he found he was able to work well along Daniel Ricciardo during their Red Bull Racing partnership, it is the Finn he holds in higher regard.
“It’s not your decision – and I don’t think it should be. So I don’t mind,” said Vettel to Motorsport.com about his perfect choice of team-mate. “Obviously it makes it a lot easier if you have somebody who you are working with that you feel the respect.
“You know, many times people tend to make things much more complicated than they are, especially in Formula 1, so it’s good if you can work with somebody where there are no politics or no confusions or anything.
“In this regard, Kimi is probably the best team-mate that I had. He is pretty straightforward, but I also got along well with Daniel [Ricciardo].”
Vettel acknowledges that his relationship with Mark Webber was different to both Raikkonen and Ricciardo, and he puts the differences between himself and the Australian down to being part of different generations of racers.
“With Mark [Webber], obviously at times we had our differences,” said Vettel. “Also I have to say we were different generations, so we probably from the start were not that close. But that is how it is.”
