Sebastian Vettel is one of the most respected athletes in the world, with the German’s desire to help out anyone in any way possible winning him a place in the hearts of fans all over the world.
This was not always the case however, as the 35-year-old was seen as somewhat of a villain during his days battling with Lewis Hamilton for championships by a large section of Formula 1 fans.
Vettel maybe lacked the maturity that he did now and fans also became disgruntled with having to watch the German win four consecutive world titles as Red Bull dominated the sport.
While Hamilton and Vettel did not get along at all during their early days racing against each other, a relationship has blossomed between the pair in recent years, ending in the Brit treating the entire F1 grid to a meal in Abu Dhabi to honour Vettel’s career before his final race.
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In a recent interview, Vettel has now revealed that it was actually one of the pair’s biggest flash points which brought them closer together, opening up on their infamous battle in Baku back in 2017.
While following the safety car in sector three of the street circuit, Hamilton appeared to brake-check the Ferrari driver, causing Vettel to drive into the back of his Mercedes.
The German then drove alongside his rival and move into the side of Hamilton to express his anger at his actions, picking up a penalty for doing so.
“I was very upset. It was one of these moments where things didn’t go my way. And I was upset, and maybe the emotional side did take over too much,” explained Vettel.
“But I think actually, that moment was a key moment because it could have made us step away from each other more, or bring us together. And it brought us together.
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“It wasn’t sportsmanlike and not fair, which I admitted afterwards, and we talking to each other and I think since that moment, we got closer to each other.”
While Hamilton is on the verge of committing a couple more years of his life to racing for Mercedes in F1, Vettel has pledged to never return to the sport again as he hunts to find happiness and success in other avenues of life.
With the German seemingly well suited to a management role, Red Bull have claimed that should Vettel ever change his mind, the door is always open for him to return to the energy drink giants.