Vettel disappointed to welcome Leclerc and say goodbye to 'friend' Raikkonen

Sebastian Vettel says that whilst he will welcome Charles Leclerc to the Ferrari team, he is disappointed to be saying goodbye to long-term friend and current teammate Kimi Raikkonen. The Finn is set to be replaced at the end of the 2018 season by Sauber driver and Ferrari junior driver Leclerc.

Speaking to Autosport, Vettel admitted that he would miss Raikkonen's 'zero bull***' attitude that garnered the Finn so many F1 fans around the world.

"Obviously one thing you can express in numbers and results and so on, but I think that's not the most important thing.

"I think the most important thing if you are team-mates is the respect that you have for each other, or the degree of bullshit going on between each other, and with Kimi it has been zero from the start, and I don't think it will change until the end.

"It's a great chance for Charles, but also it's sad to know that Kimi is not there anymore because I think we get along even though we are different. We have this mutual respect for each other."

Vettel also commented on whether he felt the dynamic at the Ferrari team would change with the arrival of Leclerc, saying that it represented a great opportunity for the Monegasque driver.

"Obviously it's always a change, but to be honest right now nothing changes. I'm more focused on the next races rather than next year.

"It's a great opportunity for him. He's been in the junior programme of the team for a long time, so it's good to see there's progression. I'm not thinking about that at all, so I have no thoughts.

"Everybody is different, so for sure there will be a different dynamic and so on, but I think he's a good kid and I hope he integrates well. I'm sure everybody is willing to help."