F1 News: Max Verstappen Reveals Sebastian Vettel Moment That He Will Always Remember
Two-time champion Max Verstappen has revealed a sweet moment between him and Sebastian Vettel back in 2021, as well as paying his respects as the F1 legend heads into retirement.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix brought the 2022 F1 season to a close last weekend and also started Sebastian Vettel's retirement. Verstappen spoke over the weekend about a memory of Vettel that will stay in his mind forever.
Verstappen was speaking about his crash back in 2021 at the Silverstone Grand Prix. He had a collision with rival Lewis Hamilton on the first lap of the race which left him in the barriers. He was taken to hospital to be checked over but thankfully received the all clear a bit later on.
The Belgian-Dutch driver explained:
“One thing I will always remember for the rest of my life – last year, in Silverstone, I came back from the hospital to get to my motorhome to get all my stuff and he was there, waiting for me when I got out of the car.
“And he said, ‘Are you OK, Max, how are you doing? Are you OK?’ And that just shows how he is, you know, a super nice, caring person who is not only there for performance, but also means well, you know.
“I think that’s also really nice to be remembered like that. He will definitely be missed.
Verstappen continued by wishing Vettel well for the future in his retirement. He said:
“But on the other hand, I also really wish him well for the future, whatever he wants to do, to be honest, but I think what is most important is to spend time with family.
“You know, he’s a real family, man. And that’s great to see and a great example.”
Vettel started is F1 career with Toro Rosso, which is now AlphaTauri, and was later promoted to Red Bull where he had his most successful years winning four consecutive championships. Verstappen paid tribute to Vettel and acknowledged how much he had done for the Red Bull team.
“He has meant a lot to Red Bull. He came through as a junior and basically achieved all of it in the sport.
"I mean, he still has a lot of friends within Red Bull, of course all the way up. He’s had a career which a lot of people could only dream of.
“But at the end of the day, that’s not everything. I think, as a person, he’s always been very caring. Of course, I had my heated battles with him, especially in the beginning of my career.”