Sebastian Vettel shares adorable moment when he confessed to Max Verstappen that the Dutch driver was better than him

Sebastian Vettel has revealed that he rated Max Verstappen better than him when the Dutchman was about to break his record for most consecutive wins in F1 history. Vettel made the confession to Verstappen before the latter broke his record in the 2023 F1 season.

Vettel and Verstappen are both legendary drivers who raced for Red Bull. Both won four championships with the Milton Keynes-based squad to guide the team to dominance.

While Vettel retired back in 2022, Verstappen is scripting his own legacy, having claimed four back-to-back titles at just 27 years of age.

That being said, in 2023, Red Bull had a dominant year, winning 22 of the 23 rounds. Max Verstappen comfortably secured the drivers' championship title that year, marking his third in a row. Moreover, he also broke Sebastian Vettel's record of winning the most consecutive races in a single calendar year.

He won 10 races in Miami, Monaco, Spain, Canada, Austria, Britain, Hungary, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy to surpass the previous record of nine straight wins held by Vettel. Moreover, the German driver recently disclosed that he made an honest confession to Verstappen.

Talking to the BBC, Vettel revealed:

“I was in contact with Max when he was on the brink of breaking the record of most consecutive wins. I was at 9, and then he equaled, and I told him, “You’re better than me; I’m sure you’ll beat me,” and he said, “I’m not sure,” and then he did 10.”

Sebastian Vettel, in his legendary F1 career, won four world titles and registered 53 wins with 122 podiums. He began his career with Sauber before reaching his peak with Red Bull. Vettel then moved to Ferrari and Aston Martin before announcing retirement after the 2022 F1 season.

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Sebastian Vettel backing Lewis Hamilton and not Max Verstappen to win a championship this year

Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, and Lewis Hamilton - Source: Getty

Despite retiring from F1 after 2022, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel is still connected to the sport as a spectator and fan. He recently picked his old friend Lewis Hamilton as favorite to win a world championship this year with Ferrari.

Talking to the BBC, Vettel said:

"My fingers are crossed [for Lewis Hamilton]. It's great to see that he's still on the grid, and he still has that influence and uses it in a positive manner. So naturally, my fingers are crossed to win the championship."

Hamilton, who switched to Ferrari this season, is already a seven-time world champion. Another championship would make him the driver to win the most championships in F1's history.

However, Vettel seemingly ignored another four-time world champion, Max Verstappen, in the championship race, as he believes the Dutch driver will have the hardest year in F1 this year with Red Bull.