“I think he’s one of the greatest people that we’ve seen in the sport” – Hamilton on Vettel

Lewis Hamilton has called Sebastian Vettel one of the ‘greatest people we’ve seen’ in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship as he paid tribute to the German after the announcement that he would be retiring at the end of the current season.

Vettel has opted to call time on his career so he can put more focus into his family life, and Hamilton, one of his biggest rivals during his time in the sport, admits it is a sad occasion to see him step away from behind the steering wheel.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team’s Hamilton says Formula 1 needs more people like Vettel, and he feels he has ‘lost an ally’ on the grid.  And he knew he was going to be a powerful character on the grid early on in his career.

But Hamilton hopes the friendship the two have found despite being fierce rivals on track can continue even after Vettel leaves his Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team seat for the final time after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November.

“I kind of knew that it was coming, as there’d been hints, but the realisation of it is another thing,” Hamilton is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com.  “And I would just say naturally, my first feeling is it’s sad to see that he’s stopping.

“And then I have not had a lot of time to think about all the journey that we’ve gone through together.  But when I talk about the journey that I’ve felt I’ve experienced in this sport, and kind of often feeling that it’s been relatively lonely, I would say he’s one of the few people that made it not feel lonely.

“He stood by me through a lot of things. I always remember 2007, the press conference in Magny-Cours, and him being very, very outspoken in the driver’s briefing.

“And I knew then that he was going to be a powerful figure in the sport. But then seeing his success, and then seeing that he puts others before himself and he’s been so brave in speaking out and standing for what he believes in.

“We talk about legends in our sport. I don’t really love that name, or that title, to be honest.

“I think he’s one of the greatest people that we’ve seen in the sport. And we need more like him. I’m sad because I will have lost an ally inside the actual sport on the grid.

“But I know that outside, he’ll be doing great things. And I hope that we will always remain friends. I hope that there’ll be other things that we get to do together outside.”