When Sebastian Vettel dropped a one-word reply to what he would miss about Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari

Sebastian Vettel once said that he would miss Kimi Raikkonen's silence after the latter departed from Ferrari. This hilarious comment surfaced after Raikkonen announced that the 2018 season would be his last year in Ferrari.

Raikkonen joined Ferrari in 2007 and became a world champion in his debut year. However, he took a sabbatical from the sport in 2010 and returned to the Italian team in 2012.

Raikkonen was joined by Vettel in the 2015 season, and their partnership was largely popular among fans. However, in 2019, Raikkonen again parted ways with Ferrari to join Alfa Romeo.

In his farewell race at the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Vettel and Raikkonen attended the press conference at Yas Marina Circuit together. When Vettel was asked to name one thing that he would miss about his departing teammate, he said:

'Silence.'

This hilarious response had the whole room bursting into laughter. Kimi, meanwhile, added another aspect that Sebastian Vettel would miss after his departure.

'Short meetings from my side.'

Kimi Raikkonen is a man of few words. His one-line answers during press conferences and other events left the fans amazed. Hence, Vettel's answer suggested that he was also fond of the Finnish driver's silence.

Meanwhile, Raikkonen eventually retired from F1 in 2021. Vettel, on the other hand, quit Ferrari in 2020. He then joined Aston Martin for a two-year stint, before closing the curtains on his F1 career in 2022.

Both former teammates haven't been seen much in public after retirement. While Vettel was linked to Mercedes as a potential replacement for Lewis Hamilton, team principal Toto Wolff rubbished the claim and announced Andrea Kimi Antonelli as the seven-time world champion's successor.

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Former Red Bull driver indirectly rules out Sebastian Vettel's return to F1

Sebastian Vettel (Image Source: Getty)

Sebastian Vettel, four-time world champion, retired from F1 in 2022. However, rumors of his potential return gained steam last season. He was first linked to Mercedes before Toto Wolff ruled out the possibility of Vettel donning Mercedes' suit.

Furthermore, Vettel was also touted as a strong candidate for Audi. However, the former Red Bull driver David Coulthard advised him against the idea of returning to F1.

Talking to Lucas Stewart, on his YouTube channel, Coulthard said:

“Only if he is living in a delusional space where he thinks that having taken a couple [of] years out, he’ll be quicker. The facts are that the stopwatch doesn’t lie, and he wasn’t delivering the lap times at the end of his career.

Audi will debut in 2026 after completing a 100% takeover of Sauber. Mattia Binotto, the team's F1 project head, hasn't ruled out any candidate including Sebastian Vettel, as he said Audi wants to keep its options open.