Vettel looks at Verstappen: 'It's a privilege'

Max Verstappen enters the new racing year as reigning world champion. Although the pressure on Verstappen's shoulders will be great, Sebastian Vettel knows better than anyone how nice it is to start a season with a world championship in your pocket.

The German driver won the world championship no less than four times in a row with Red Bull Racing between 2010 and 2013. However, after the FIA decided to implement new engine regulations, the era of the Austrian racing stable was over and it was Mercedes' turn to dominate for years.

Nevertheless, Vettel remembers well what it was like to be the best driver in Formula 1. When he looks at his own situation, he especially felt a burden fall off his shoulders when he had the world title in. Vettel therefore expects that Verstappen will only have an easier time of it, he told the official website of Formula 1.

"You have the number one on your car, so it’s a privilege," Vettel explained. "I think we would all like to be in that position. It can only be one of us, and yes, I didn’t see it as an extra burden. If anything, it was a boost. So, I think he will probably feel the same."